Sudan’s national football team hopes its unexpected progress at the Africa Cup of Nations can help ease the conflict tearing the country apart, head coach Kwesi Appiah said on Friday.
Despite winning only one match in the group stage, Sudan have qualified for the tournament’s round of 16 for just the second time in their history, the first since lifting the title in 1970. Their achievement comes amid immense hardship, with the team forced to live and play in exile due to the ongoing war.
Sudan will face defending champions Senegal on Saturday in Morocco, where the tournament is being held. The team qualified despite the destruction of sporting infrastructure at home and the psychological toll of prolonged displacement.
Speaking at a press conference, Appiah became visibly emotional when asked about the impact of the conflict on his players, saying football offered one of the few remaining sources of hope for the country.
He said the team believed a major victory could help reduce tensions, recalling a recent World Cup qualifier in which celebrations briefly halted fighting on the ground. According to Appiah, football has the power to create rare moments of unity in a deeply fractured society.
The war, which erupted in April 2023 following a power struggle between rival military forces, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced millions, and triggered widespread hunger across Sudan.
As a result of the conflict, Sudan have not played a home match in more than three years. The country’s leading clubs have relocated abroad, competing in regional leagues, while others continue continental campaigns far from their traditional fan bases.
Team captain Bakhit Khamis said playing away from home under such conditions has been extremely difficult, both emotionally and professionally. He added that the players remain determined to bring pride to their supporters and offer hope to people enduring the hardships of war.
Everything the team does on the pitch, he said, is driven by the desire to make life better for their people and to remind them that Sudan still has moments worth believing in.
