Sudan have reached the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations for only the second time in 56 years — despite not playing a single home match for the past three years due to war in the country.
Ongoing conflict in Sudan has severely damaged the nation’s football infrastructure, forcing the national team to play all their matches away from home over the last three years. Yet against all odds, they have qualified for the AFCON knockout round for just the second time in more than half a century. Sudan head coach Kwesi Appiah hopes that a victory over Senegal in the round of 16 could even serve as a moment to help calm — or possibly stop — the war back home.
In the group stage of the continental tournament currently being held in Morocco, Sudan won one of their three matches. Although they did not finish in the top two of their group, they progressed as one of the best third-placed teams to reach the last 16.
Sudan won their only Africa Cup of Nations title in 1970. Since then, they had reached the knockout stage just once before this edition — in 2012, when they made it to the quarter-finals.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been gripped by violent clashes between government forces and an armed group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Armed attacks and counterattacks across different parts of the country have frequently resulted in casualties.
Thousands of people have been killed since the conflict began, hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and famine has spread across large areas of the country.
Despite being forced into exile, the Sudan national team has continued to compete. They will face Senegal on Saturday in their bid to reach the AFCON quarter-finals. When asked about the impact of the war on his team during Friday’s press conference, Appiah appeared slightly frustrated — but also spoke with hope.
“Most of the time I try to avoid these questions because the feelings are terrible. It’s not something we want to talk about. But we hope that if we win, it might calm the situation — maybe even stop the war.”
“There was a match before that we won (in World Cup qualifying), and at that time the army put their guns down and everyone was celebrating. Football can change many things in this world.”
Not only the national team but also Sudan’s top two clubs have been unable to play at home. Both clubs have relocated to Rwanda, where they are competing as guest teams in the local league.
Sudan captain Bakhit Khamis knows all too well how difficult it is to play away from home under such circumstances. Like his coach, he believes football success can bring hope for improvement back in Sudan.
“You all know how difficult it is to play outside the country and continue playing in such conditions. Being away from our families and away from home is very hard for us. We are trying to cope with the situation, trying to make our fans happy, and hoping things will get better. What we are doing on the pitch is an effort to make life better for the people of our country.”
