SUDAN currently sit top of their 2026 World Cup qualifying group and are optimistic of qualifying for their first ever World Cup.
The national football team has been a shining light in what has been an incredibly difficult few years for the country.
It is currently in its second year of a terrible civil war, which broke out in April 2023.
There have been reports that almost 15,000 people have died and more than 8.2 million have been displaced from their homes.
As a result of this devastating conflict, domestic football in Sudan has been halted but this has not stopped two of the countries biggest clubs.
Al Hilal and Al Merrikh have continued to play abroad to ‘offer a distraction’ to people back home, both sides find themselves playing 4,455km away from home in the Mauritania top division.
The national team also have to play abroad and in their upcoming qualification matches they are playing at the Martyrs of Benina stadium in Libya.
Sudan, who are ranked 113th in the world, surprisingly find themselves top of Group B and ahead of favourites Senegal who they face next on Saturday.
If they finish top of their group they will gain automatic qualification to the World Cup, while finishing in second place will give them a chance to qualify via a play-off.
Abdelrahman Kuku, a Sudan international, spoke with The Guardian last year about what football means for the country. “The war drives the team on.
“It is a big push for us, knowing that we are pretty much the only reason for people to be happy in Sudan.
“When we play, that is all that happens in the country.
“The war stops for 90 minutes as everyone watches, there is no fighting.”
Sudan are currently two points ahead of Senegal and will look to pull ahead this weekend.
