Sudan qualified for the next CAN: a “rare moment of joy” in the country at war

The feat came at the expense of Ghana, one of the continent’s traditional powers, despite the team having to play all its matches abroad and the domestic championship being suspended.

The streets of Port Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people suffer from lack of water and health care, came alive Monday evening after the match. To the sound of a concert of horns, forests of flags were waved from windows by ecstatic supporters.

Sudan validated its ticket after hanging on Angola, already qualified (0-0), signing despite the draw its return to the CAN to the detriment of Ghana, beaten at home by the modest Niger (2-1).

“Our joy after the match (…) could not really reflect our emotions,” Hassan Mohamed, a jubilant supporter, told AFP.

In Port Sudan, the country’s de facto capital since last year, fans gathered in cafes to watch the match, played in Benghazi, Libya.

Others followed the match on their cell phones, holding their breath in the final moments.

When the referee blew the whistle for the end of the match, the chairs overturned and the fans jumped for joy.

Read also: CAN 2025-Morocco: here are the 24 teams qualified for the final phase

This is only the second time that Sudan, former champion in 1970, has qualified for the final phase of the CAN in the last seven editions. The 2025 edition of the African Cup of Nations will take place in Morocco from December 21, 2025.

“An impossible smile”

Photos of the players hit social media, with Sudanese users hailing the team’s qualification as a “rare moment of joy in dark times”.

The goal of the team “was to bring a smile back to the Sudanese people,” Khalid Omer Yousif, vice-president of the Sudan Congress party, said on X.

Interviewed by telephone by AFP, sports journalist Nasr al-Din al-Fadalabi saw in the feat an “unexpected smile in a period of sadness”.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been in the grip of a war between the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, and the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, leader of facto of the country.

The conflict has already caused tens of thousands of deaths – estimates ranging from 20,000 to 150,000 due to lack of precise census – and thrown more than 11 million inhabitants onto the roads, of whom more than three million have fled the country.

Inside Sudan, displaced people face a worsening humanitarian crisis and are at risk of starvation, even in areas spared direct fighting.

Read also: CAN 2025-Morocco: after their qualification, the Indomitable Lions dream of a 6th star

The war devastated the country’s infrastructure, crippled the health sector and led to the closure of most businesses.

Football has not escaped the turmoil

The conflict on the ground

With the suspension of the national championship, Sudanese football had to reorganize itself. Home matches were relocated to South Sudan and Libya, and the national team trained in Saudi Arabia.

Several players have joined clubs abroad, such as goalkeeper Mohamed Mustafa who plays in Tanzania. Some Sudanese based in Libya have also joined the national team.

Star striker Mohamed Eisa spent most of his career in Great Britain, and now plays in Iran.

The war also sometimes won the field.

During a match against Ghana in October, team captain Ramadan Agab imitated a victory gesture associated with army chief General al-Burhane, mocking his paramilitary rivals.

The army chief praised the team in public statements and during visits to the football federation.

“Despite the divisions between some and the many obstacles, the players met all the challenges,” says Akrama supporter Ali Karamallah.

“I believe they will go even further, and as they say, nothing is impossible.”