Sudan
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Secretarybirds
AssociationSudan Football Association (SFA)
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationCECAFA
(East & Central Africa)
Head coachJames Kwesi Appiah
CaptainRamadan Agab
Most capsHaitham Mustafa (99)
Top scorerNasreldin Jaksa (27)
Home stadiumKhartoum Stadium
FIFA codeSDN
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 128 Steady (21 December 2023)[1]
Highest74 (December 1996)
Lowest164 (July 2017)
First international
 Sudan 5–1 Ethiopia 
(Sudan; 13 May 1956)[2]
Biggest win
 Sudan 15–0 Muscat and Oman
(Cairo, Egypt; 2 September 1965)
Biggest defeat
 South Korea 8–0 Sudan 
(Seoul, South Korea; 8 September 1979)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances9 (first in 1957)
Best resultChampions (1970)
African Nations Championship
Appearances3 (first in 2011)
Best resultThird place (2011, 2018)
FIFA Arab Cup
Appearances4 (first in 1998)
Best resultGroup stage (1998, 2002, 2012, 2021)
CECAFA Cup
Appearances22 (first in 1979)
Best resultChampions (1980, 2006, 2007)

The Sudan national football team (Arabic: منتخب السُّودَان الْوَطَنِيّ لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) represents Sudan in international football and is controlled by the Sudan Football Association, the governing body for football in Sudan. Its home ground is Khartoum Stadium in the capital Khartoum. In 1957, it was one of the three teams to participate in the inaugural Africa Cup of Nations, the other two being Egypt and Ethiopia.

Sudan is one of the oldest teams in Africa and won the 1970 Africa Cup of Nations as hosts.

History

Beginning and an African giant (1946–1970)

The Sudan Football Association was founded in 1936 and thus it became one of the oldest football associations to exist in Africa. However, before the foundation of the Football Association, Sudan had started experiencing football brought to the country by the British colonizers since early 20th century via Egypt. Other Sudanese clubs founded at that time include Al-Hilal Omdurman, Al-Merrikh, which led to popularization of football in the country. The Khartoum League became the first national league to be played in Sudan, laying ground for the future development of Sudanese football.

Being experienced early with football, Sudan was quick to affiliate itself with FIFA in 1948, and soon after, Sudanese officials were instrumental, along with Ethiopian, South African and Egyptian counterparts, forming the Confederation of African Football in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum in 1957.[3] Following the establishment of CAF, Sudan participated in the 1957 African Cup of Nations, the first historic Africa Cup of Nations which Sudan was host. The national team finished third, as South Africa was banned over apartheid.

During that early era, Sudan produced some of the finest players, most notably Mustafa Azhari, the captain of Sudan during this period; Nasr El-Din Abbas, who became Sudan's top scorer in the country's football team; Siddiq Manzul, who was an instrumental leader in Sudan's forward; Ali Gagarin with his meteoric ability. Sudan then won the 1970 African Cup of Nations, their only African trophy up to date.[3]

Decline (1970–2008)

With the retirement of a significant number of Sudanese football star at the time, the national team of Sudan deteriorated. Sudan participated in 1972 and 1976 editions, but Sudan wasn't able to get out of the group stage. At the time, Sudan was plagued by the first and second civil wars that led to football in the country being largely unable to retain its status. Likewise, Sudan also suffered from series of political upheavals that drained the country's football resources.[3] As such, Sudan struggled to qualify for another AFCON, and the country has yet to qualify for a single FIFA World Cup. Only Libya being the other major Arab country in Africa to have never achieved the feat. Often Sudan participated in AFCON qualification and majority finished in bottom or near bottom of their qualification. This was totally contrasted to their successes in club competition, as Sudanese clubs were omnipresent in CAF Champions League.[3]

Small resurgence (2008–2012)

On 9 September 2007, Sudan beat World Cup participant Tunisia 3–2 at home, making Sudan the top finisher in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group 4. This meant Sudan had finally returned to the AFCON after 32 years. In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, their first in 32 years, Sudan was grouped in group C, which they shared with Egypt, Cameroon and Zambia. Sudan lost all three competitive games finishing at the bottom of their group.

Sudan reached the final round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers but finished last with only a point, failing to reach AFCON and World Cup.

Sudan (as hosts) automatically qualified for the 2011 African Nations Championship. They finished top of their group which consisted of Algeria, Uganda and Gabon to then advance to the knockout stages. After defeating Niger on penalties in the quarterfinals, they lost against Angola in the semifinals (also on penalties) to then win 1–0 against former groupmates Algeria (who also lost on penalties in the semifinals) and finish third in the Championship, their first top 4 finish in a major African tournament since 1970.

In the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Sudan was once again in the same group with Ghana, alongside Swaziland and Congo. Sudan lost only one game and reached the tournament In the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, in group B, Sudan finished second behind Ivory Coast, and overcame Angola by goal difference to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 1970. Sudan played Zambia in the last eight, and lost 0–3. Zambia would go on to win the tournament for the first time.

Downfall (2012–2018)

In 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Sudan suffered a huge blow when they lost to neighbor Ethiopia by away goal, losing 0–2 in Addis Ababa after a very eventful 5–3 win at home, thus missed out the competition. Since then, Sudan continued to struggle qualifying for the African Cup of Nations for the next 7 years. They also had no success qualifying for the African Nations Championship after their 3rd-place finish in 2011 for a while until 2018.

Fluctuation (2018–present)

In 2018 they qualified for the 2018 African Nations Championship after failing to do so in two previous competitions and finished 3rd place, and it was seen as a signal heralding a new era of Sudanese football. Shortly after, with an almost identical crop of players, Sudan succeeded in qualifying for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, finishing ahead of powerhouse South Africa, including two famous wins at home against Ghana and South Africa and eliminated the South Africans in process, successfully returned to the AFCON after nine years. The optimism increased when Sudan beat Libya 1–0 in the qualification for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, under the same management of French coach Hubert Velud, making impressions that Sudan would soon recover its glorious place among Arab and African football nations.

However, Sudan has a disastrous opening during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. Being drawn with the likes of a fellow Arab state and powerhouse Morocco, as well as Guinea-Bissau and Guinea which have never taken part in a World Cup like Sudan, the Sudanese were still being regarded as somewhat better than the two Guineas and could be a potential competitor against Morocco. Sudan started its quest with a 0–2 away to the Moroccans in Rabat, which was seen as acceptable. Yet in the home fixture against Guinea-Bissau, Sudan was completely trashed by the Bissau-Guineans 2–4, to leave the team in the bottom place and reducing hopes to qualify for a maiden World Cup. Sudan's hope was completely dashed after winning only two points after two consecutive draws over Guinea, effectively making Sudan the first team to be eliminated in the group.

Team image

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

3 January Friendly Uganda  2–2  Sudan Tunisia
16:00 UTC+1
  • Karim Watambala 2'
  • Ibrahim Orit 13'
Report
Stadium: Venue Stade Municipal de Jemmal
19 January 2022 African Nations Championship Ghana  3–1  Sudan Constantine, Algeria
21:00 UTC+1
Report
Stadium: Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium
23 January 2022 African Nations Championship Sudan  0–3  Madagascar Constantine, Algeria
21:00 UTC+1 Report
  • Randriatsiferana 13'
  • Razafindranaivo 30'
  • Rafanomezantsoa 33'
Stadium: Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium
23 March 2023 AFCON qualification Gabon  1–0  Sudan Franceville, Gabon
20:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Stade de Franceville
Referee: Haythem Guirat (Tunisia)
27 March 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Sudan  1–0  Gabon Omdurman, Sudan
18:00 UTC+2
  • Kome 67'
Report Stadium: Al Hilal Stadium
Referee: Lotfi Bekouassa (Algeria)
15 June Friendly Kuwait  2–1  Sudan Cairo, Egypt
20 June 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Sudan  0–3  Mauritania Agadir, Morocco
18:00 UTC±0 Report
Stadium: Adrar Stadium
Referee: Ibrahim Mutaz (Libya)
9 September 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification DR Congo  2–0  Sudan Kinshasa, DR Congo
17:00 UTC+1 Report Stadium: Stade des Martyrs
Referee: Samir Guezzaz (Morocco)
15 October Friendly Sudan  1–1  Tanzania Taif, Saudi Arabia
19:00 UTC+3 Report
  • Bajana
Stadium: King Fahd Sports City
17 October Friendly Sudan  1–0  Chad Taif, Saudi Arabia
19:00 UTC+3
  • Mazen 30'
Report Stadium: King Fahd Sports City
20 October Friendly Chad  1–1  Sudan Taif, Saudi Arabia
19:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: King Fahd Sports City
11 November Friendly Libya  2–1  Sudan Benina, Libya
18:00 UTC+2 Report
  • Hemedelnil 68'
Stadium: Martyrs of February Stadium
Attendance: 0
16 November 2026 World Cup qualification Sudan  1–1  Togo Benina, Libya
18:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Martyrs of February Stadium
Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona (Madagascar)
19 November 2026 World Cup qualification Sudan  1–0  DR Congo Benina, Libya
18:00 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Martyrs of February Stadium
Attendance: 3,700
Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification - CAF Group B matches against Togo & DR Congo on 16 and 19 November 2023.[4]

Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2023, after the match against DR Congo.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Ali Abu Eshrein (1989-12-06) 6 December 1989 33 0 Sudan Al-Hilal
1GK Mohamed Mustafa (1996-02-19) 19 February 1996 21 0 Sudan Al-Merrikh
1GK Munjed Alnil (1996-01-01) 1 January 1996 5 0 Sudan Hilal Alsahil

2DF Ramadan Agab (Captain) (1986-02-20) 20 February 1986 62 7 Sudan Al-Merrikh
2DF Mustafa Karshoum (1992-12-06) 6 December 1992 22 0 Sudan Al-Merrikh
2DF Bakhit Khamis (1994-01-01) 1 January 1994 20 0 Sudan Al-Merrikh
2DF Muhamed Ahmed Saeed (1997-10-20) 20 October 1997 20 0 Sudan Al-Hilal
2DF Awad Zayed (1993-01-01) 1 January 1993 13 0 Sudan Al Ahli
2DF Ahmed Tabanja (2000-09-02) 2 September 2000 3 0 Sudan Al-Merrikh
2DF Mazen Bashir (2002-10-02) 2 October 2002 2 0 Sudan Hay Al-Arab
2DF Esmat Abdelhameed (2002-09-10) 10 September 2002 1 0 Sudan Al-Hilal
2DF Altayeb Abdelrazeg (1991-01-01) 1 January 1991 1 0 Sudan Al-Hilal

3MF Abuaagla Abdalla (1993-03-11) 11 March 1993 60 3 Sudan Al-Hilal
3MF Muhamed Alrasheed (1994-01-01) 1 January 1994 30 1 Sudan Al-Merrikh
3MF Abdel Raouf (1993-07-18) 18 July 1993 19 1 Sudan Al-Hilal
3MF Ahmed Al-Tash (1993-03-07) 7 March 1993 18 2 Sudan Al-Merrikh
3MF Salah Adel (1995-04-03) 3 April 1995 18 0 Sudan Al-Hilal
3MF Emad Salah (1993-06-05) 5 June 1993 10 0 Sudan Al-Hilal
3MF Suliman Ezallah (2005-02-10) 10 February 2005 3 0 Sudan Al-Hilal
3MF Musab Abdallah (2004-05-02) 2 May 2004 3 0 Sudan Al Ahli

4FW Yaser Muzmel (1992-01-01) 1 January 1992 38 5 Sudan Al-Hilal
4FW Seif Teiri (1994-01-01) 1 January 1994 31 9 Egypt Pharco
4FW Al-Jezoli Nouh (2002-10-24) 24 October 2002 26 1 Sudan Al-Merrikh
4FW Yasin Hamed (1999-09-12) 12 September 1999 11 0 Hungary Gyori ETO
4FW Musab Ahmed (1993-12-10) 10 December 1993 6 1 Sudan Al Ahli
4FW Ali Abdallah Hemedelnil (2003-05-17) 17 May 2003 4 1 Sudan Hay Al-Wadi
4FW Mazen Fadl (2008-07-26) 26 July 2008 3 0 Sudan Hay Al-Wadi
4FW Sheddy Barglan (2002-10-03) 3 October 2002 2 0 Netherlands Den Bosch
4FW Mohamed Eisa (1994-07-12) 12 July 1994 2 1 England Milton Keynes Dons
4FW Abo Eisa (1996-01-05) 5 January 1996 2 0 England Grimsby Town
4FW Sufian Abdallah (2000-01-16) 16 January 2000 1 0 Sudan Hay Al-Arab
4FW Ayman Abdelrahman (1994-01-01) 1 January 1994 1 0 Germany Kray
4FW Jusif Ali (2000-05-04) 4 May 2000 1 0 Finland Lahti

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Sudan in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up




Notes
  • INJ = Withdrew due to injury
  • PRE = Preliminary squad / standby
  • RET = Retired from the national team

Records

As of 19 November 2023.[5]
Players in bold are still active with Sudan.

Most appearances

Haitham Mustafa is Sudan's most capped player with 99 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1Haitham Mustafa9961998–2012
2Muhannad El Tahir89152004–2018
3Badreldin Galag8192002–2012
El Muez Mahgoub8102002–2015
5Richard Justin7871999–2008
6Nasr Eldin El Shigail7702007–2021
7Amir Kamal7122010–2021
8Ala'a Eldin Yousif6252004–2014
Ramadan Agab6272010-
10Seif Mesawi6142007–2015
Haytham Tambal61242003–2011

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1Nasr El-Din Abbas27520.521963–1972
2Haytham Tambal24610.392003–2011
3Muhamed Abdelrahman19400.482017–present
4Ali Gagarin18450.41967–1979
Faisal Agab18470.381998-2012
6Muhannad El Tahir15890.172004–2018
7Abdelhameed Al-Saoudi10290.342004–2011
Mudather Karika10580.172017–present
9Seif Teiri9310.312017–present
Badreldin Galag9810.112002–2012

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
Italy 1934
France 1938
Brazil 1950
Switzerland 1954
Sweden 1958Withdrew in qualification 211021
Chile 1962WithdrewWithdrew
England 1966
Mexico 1970Did not qualify 82421516
West Germany 1974 210112
Argentina 1978WithdrewWithdrew
Spain 1982Did not qualify 201113
Mexico 1986 403115
Italy 1990 201112
United States 1994WithdrewWithdrew
France 1998Did not qualify 210123
South Korea Japan 2002 105051012
Germany 2006 12246922
South Africa 2010 123181118
Brazil 2014 6024314
Russia 2018 200203
Qatar 2022 8143813
Canada Mexico United States 2026To be determined 101011
Morocco Portugal Spain Argentina Paraguay Uruguay 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total0/257216213564114

Olympic Games record

Olympic Games
Appearances: 1
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
1896 1956Did not enter
Italy 1960Did not qualify
Japan 1964
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972Group stage15th300315
Canada 1976Did not qualify
Soviet Union 1980Did not enter
United States 1984Did not qualify
South Korea 1988
Spain 1992
United States 1996Did not enter
Australia 2000Did not qualify
Greece 2004
China 2008
United Kingdom 2012
Brazil 2016
Japan 2020
TotalGroup stage1/26300315
  • Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since the 1992 edition.

Africa Cup of Nations record

Africa Cup of Nations Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Sudan 1957Third place3rd100112 Qualified as hosts
United Arab Republic 1959Runners-up2nd210122 No qualification
Ethiopia 1962Did not enter Did not enter
Ghana 1963Runners-up2nd311165 2 2 0 0 6 0
Tunisia 1965Did not qualify 6 4 1 1 14 7
Ethiopia 1968 3 1 0 2 4 5
Sudan 1970Champions1st540183 Qualified as hosts
Cameroon 1972Group stage7th302146 Qualified as defending champions
Egypt 1974Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 2 3
Ethiopia 1976Group stage7th302134 4 3 0 1 7 4
Ghana 1978Withdrew Withdrew
Nigeria 1980Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 4
Libya 1982Did not enter Did not enter
Ivory Coast 1984Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 4 6
Egypt 1986Withdrew Withdrew
Morocco 1988Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 3 3
Algeria 1990 2 1 0 1 1 1
Senegal 1992 4 2 0 2 3 3
Tunisia 1994 6 1 2 3 2 9
South Africa 1996 10 3 2 5 10 14
Burkina Faso 1998Withdrew Withdrew
Ghana Nigeria 2000Did not enter Did not enter
Mali 2002Did not qualify 8 2 1 5 9 10
Tunisia 2004 6 3 1 2 9 6
Egypt 2006 12 2 4 6 9 22
Ghana 2008Group stage16th300309 6 5 0 1 13 4
Angola 2010Did not qualify 10 2 1 7 7 15
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012Quarter-finals8th411247 6 4 1 1 8 3
South Africa 2013Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 5 5
Equatorial Guinea 2015 6 1 0 5 3 11
Gabon 2017 4 1 1 2 2 3
Egypt 2019 6 1 0 5 5 13
Cameroon 2021Group stage20th301214 6 4 0 2 9 3
Ivory Coast 2023Did not qualify 6 2 0 4 3 10
Morocco 2025To be determined To be determined
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027
Total1 Title9/362777132942 127 50 17 60 140 164

African Games record

African Games
Appearances: 1
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Republic of the Congo 1965Did not enter
Nigeria 1973
Algeria 1978Did not enter
Kenya 1987Did not qualify
Egypt 1991Did not enter
Zimbabwe 1995
South Africa 1999
Nigeria 2003Withdrew
Algeria 2007Did not enter
Mozambique 2011
Republic of the Congo 2015Group stage5th311122
Morocco 2019To be determined
Ghana 2023
All TotalGroup stage1/11311122

African Nations Championship record

African Nations Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 7 6
Sudan 2011Third place3rd641152 Qualified as hosts
South Africa 2014Did not qualify 2 0 2 0 2 2
Rwanda 2016 2 0 0 2 0 4
Morocco 2018Third place3rd641153 4 2 2 0 3 1
Cameroon 2020Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 2
Algeria 2022Qualified 2 2 0 0 7 3
TotalThird place2/612822105

CECAFA Cup

CECAFA Cup
Appearances: 22
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Uganda 1973Did not enter
Tanzania 1974
Zambia 1975
Zanzibar 1976
Somalia 1977
Malawi 1978
Kenya 1979Group stage6th201115
Sudan 1980Champions1st430152
Tanzania 1981Group stage7th302124
Uganda 19826th200203
Kenya 19835th421143
Uganda 1984Did not enter
Zimbabwe 1985
Ethiopia 1987
Malawi 1988
Kenya 1989
Zanzibar 1990Runners-up2nd421153
Uganda 1991Fourth place4th401339
Tanzania 1992Did not enter
Kenya 1994
Uganda 1995
Sudan 1996Third place3rd412166
Rwanda 1999Quarter-finals8th302114
Uganda 2000Did not enter
Rwanda 2001
Tanzania 2002Group stage6th411245
Sudan 2003Fourth place4th421182
Ethiopia 2004Third place3rd5311116
Rwanda 2005Group stage6th4202712
Ethiopia 2006Champions1st623174
Tanzania 20071st523086
Uganda 2008Group stage6th412132
Kenya 2009Did not enter
Tanzania 2010Group stage10th301205
Tanzania 2011Third place3rd633063
Uganda 2012Group stage9th310213
Kenya 2013Runners-up2nd640284
Ethiopia 2015Fourth place4th621374
Kenya 2017Did not enter
Uganda 2019Group stage302123
Total3 Titles22/39893129348964

Arab Cup record

Arab Cup
Appearances: 4
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Lebanon 1963Did not enter
Kuwait 1964
Iraq 1966
Saudi Arabia 1985Did not qualify
Jordan 1988Did not enter
Syria 1992
Qatar 1998Group stage7th210124
Kuwait 20027th411245
Saudi Arabia 20127th312042
Qatar 202116th3003010
TotalGroup stage4/10123361021

Arab Games record

Arab Games
Appearances: 3
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Egypt 1953Did not enter
Lebanon 1957
Morocco 1961
United Arab Republic 1965Silver Medal2nd6501325
Syria 1976Did not enter
Morocco 1985
Syria 1992
Lebanon 1997
Jordan 1999
Algeria 2004No tournament
Egypt 2007Group stage5th4004012
Qatar 2011Group stage5th311112
Algeria 2023Bronze Medal3rd521286
TotalSilver Medal4/12188284125

Honours

References

  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  2. "World Football Elo Ratings: Sudan". World Football Elo Ratings. Archived from the original on 31 January 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "World Football: The State of Football in Sudan". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on 11 August 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  4. "Final Squad". Facebook. Sudan Football Association.
  5. "Sudan". National Football Teams.
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