South Sudan national football team

The South Sudan national football team represents South Sudan in international football and is controlled by the South Sudan Football Association, the governing body for football in South Sudan.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see South Sudan women's national football team.
Not to be confused with Sudan national football team.

South Sudan
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Bright Stars[1]
AssociationSouth Sudan Football Association (SSFA)
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationCECAFA (East & Central Africa)
Head coachStefano Cusin
CaptainPeter Maker
Most capsPeter Chol (31)
Top scorerJames Moga (6)
Home stadiumJuba National Stadium
FIFA codeSSD
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 167 Steady (21 September 2023)[2]
Highest134 (November 2015)
Lowest205 (September 2013)
First international
 South Sudan 2–2 Uganda 
(Juba, South Sudan; 10 July 2012)
Biggest win
 South Sudan 6–0 Djibouti 
(Juba, South Sudan; 28 March 2017)
Biggest defeat
 Mozambique 5–0 South Sudan 
(Maputo, Mozambique; 18 May 2014)

History

Zoran Đorđević was appointed on 25 May 2011 to oversee the national team.[3] For their inaugural year the team was featured in Storyville episode called Soccer Coach Zoran and his African Tigers. The national team's first international fixture was due to be against the Kenya national team on 10 July 2011 as part of the country's independence celebrations.[4][5] However, in the event the opposition was provided by Tusker of the Kenyan Premier League,[6] alongside the first international fixture of the national basketball team. The match was played at the Juba Stadium. South Sudan scored within ten minutes, but they later conceded three goals in a 3–1 defeat.[7] South Sudan was officially admitted as a CAF member on 10 February 2012, at the 34th CAF Ordinary General Assembly hosted in Libreville, Gabon.[8] South Sudan was admitted as a FIFA member on 25 May 2012 at the second session of the 62nd FIFA Congress hosted in Budapest, Hungary.[9][10]

On 10 July 2012, South Sudan competed in its first full international match, a friendly against Uganda in Juba.[11] The match ended in a 2–2 draw, with James Moga and Richard Justin Lado scoring for South Sudan. This match resulted in South Sudan entering the FIFA rankings at the start of August in 199th place.[11]

The South Sudanese took part in their first ever international football tournament when they took part in the 2012 CECAFA Cup in Uganda.[12][13] They were drawn in Group A alongside Ethiopia, Kenya, and hosts Uganda.[14] The national team played their first match against Ethiopia, losing 1–0 through a Yonathan Kebede goal. In their next match, they lost 2–0 against Kenya. Their final match saw them suffer a 4–0 loss to Uganda.

South Sudan entered its first major international tournament in 2014, taking part in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. As one of the four lowest ranked national teams in Africa, it entered in the preliminary stage and was scheduled to play against Eritrea, who withdrew, thus qualifying South Sudan for the first qualifying round.[15][16] There, they played Mozambique over two legs, losing 5–0 at the Estádio do Zimpeto in Maputo, but hosting a goalless draw in the second leg which was held at the Khartoum Stadium in Sudan due to the South Sudanese Civil War.

On 5 September 2015, South Sudan achieved their first official victory, a 1–0 home win against Equatorial Guinea in 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. One month later South Sudan played their first ever match in FIFA World Cup Qualification, a 1–1 draw at home to Mauritania. South Sudan would lose both return matches 4–0.

During 2019 AFCON qualifying the Bright Stars achieved their record win, defeating Djibouti 6–0 in Juba, however they lost all seven of their other matches meaning they remained among the lowest ranked teams in Africa.

In October 2019, in the 2021 AFCON preliminary round, South Sudan won an away game for the first time, beating Seychelles 1–0 in Victoria to secure a 3–1 aggregate victory. This sees the Bright Stars advance to the qualifying group stage for the third consecutive edition.

South Sudan have been invited by FIFA to taking part in 2021 FIFA Arab Cup as the only non-Arab League nation. The team eventually forfeited the qualifiers after several players tested positive on COVID-19.[17]

Results and fixtures
Main article: South Sudan national football team results

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
23 March 2023 AFCON qualification Congo  1–2  South Sudan Brazzaville, Congo
17:00 UTC+1
  • Bifouma 90' (pen.)
 Report
Stadium: Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat
Referee: Celso Alvação (Mozambique)
27 March 2023 AFCON qualification South Sudan  0–1  Congo Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
16:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: National Stadium
Referee: Joseph Odey Ogabor (Nigeria)
14 June 2023 AFCON qualification South Sudan  2–3  Gambia Ismailia, Egypt
--:-- UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Suez Canal Stadium
18 June Friendly Egypt  3–0  South Sudan Cairo, Egypt
20:00 UTC+2 M.Fathi 19'
Kahraba 45'
Trézéguet 72'		 Report Stadium: Cairo International Stadium
Referee: Abdullah Jamali (Kuwait)
8 September 2023 AFCON qualification Mali  4–0  South Sudan Bamako, Mali
19:00 UTC±0
Report Stadium: Stade du 26 Mars
Referee: Mehrez Melki (Tunisia)
12 September Friendly Kenya  0–1  South Sudan Nairobi, Kenya
Report
Stadium: Moi International Sports Centre
Referee: Abdoul Karim Twagirumukiza (Rwanda)
November 2026 World Cup qualification Senegal  v  South Sudan
November 2026 World Cup qualification South Sudan  v  Mauritania

Coaches
Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Gambia on 14 June and the friendly against Egypt on 18 June 2023.[18]

Caps and goals correct as of 18 June 2023, after the match against Egypt.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Ramadan John (2000-03-17) 17 March 2000 14 0 South Sudan Al-Malakia
1GK Khamis Daniel (1986-01-08) 8 January 1986 9 0 Free agent
2DF Peter Maker (1994-01-01) 1 January 1994 25 0 Serbia Radnički S. Mitrovica
2DF Rashid Toha (1997-10-09) 9 October 1997 13 1 Uganda Arua Hill
2DF David Omot Sebit (1998-10-09) 9 October 1998 10 0 Sudan Alamal Atbara
2DF Rehan Angier (2002-01-01) 1 January 2002 8 0 South Sudan Munuki
2DF Geriga Atendele (1995-05-05) 5 May 1995 8 0 Uganda Arua Hill
2DF Samuel Taban (2002-10-29) 29 October 2002 6 0 South Sudan Kator
2DF Joseph Dhata (2002-09-05) 5 September 2002 4 0 Uganda Express
2DF John Joh (1999-11-09) 9 November 1999 4 0 Kenya Wazito
3MF Peter Chol (1994-10-23) 23 October 1994 29 4 South Sudan Kator
3MF Ivan Wani (1998-12-12) 12 December 1998 14 0 Uganda Bul
3MF Loki Emmanuel (2001-11-14) 14 November 2001 11 1 Uganda Bright Stars
3MF Manyumow Achol (2000-12-10) 10 December 2000 10 0 Latvia Auda
3MF Joseph Malish Manase (2002-07-27) 27 July 2002 10 0 South Sudan Al-Merreikh Juba
3MF Kenyi Wani (2004-03-26) 26 March 2004 4 0 South Sudan Al-Malakia
3MF Francis Onekalit Odong (1996-08-18) 18 August 1996 2 0 Uganda Blacks Power
3MF Mario Taban Cherlino Albano (2006-04-23) 23 April 2006 0 0 South Sudan Future Stars
3MF Mandela Malish (1999-10-10) 10 October 1999 0 0 Uganda Onduparaka
4FW Tito Okello (1996-01-07) 7 January 1996 16 4 Iran Paykan
4FW Valentino Yuel (1994-10-12) 12 October 1994 10 2 Iran Aluminium Arak
4FW Ajak Riak (2000-12-12) 12 December 2000 4 0 Australia South Melbourne
4FW Machop Chol (1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 3 0 United States Atlanta United
4FW Paul Jawa (2004-07-15) 15 July 2004 2 0 South Sudan Rainbow
4FW Lazarus Peter George Laku (2008-05-29) 29 May 2008 0 0 South Sudan Future Stars

Recent call ups
Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Majak Mawith (1999-09-18) 18 September 1999 11 0 Australia Dandenong Thunder v.  Congo, 27 March 2023
GK Godwill Yugusuk (1999-11-28) 28 November 1999 0 0 South Sudan Kator v.  Congo, 23 March 2023 PRE
DF Majak Mayor (2001-12-24) 24 December 2001 2 0 South Sudan El Nasir v.  Congo, 27 March 2023
DF Bangasi Bakosoro (1996-01-01) 1 January 1996 0 0 South Sudan Kator v.  Congo, 27 March 2023
DF James Bul (2004-02-11) 11 February 2004 0 0 South Sudan Al-Malakia v.  Congo, 27 March 2023
DF Ryen Jiba (2001-04-29) 29 April 2001 0 0 United States Minnesota United v.  Congo, 23 March 2023 PRE
DF Mabior Mabior (2003-12-29) 29 December 2003 0 0 South Sudan Super Star v.  Congo, 23 March 2023 PRE
DF Ryan Mahuta (2002-07-07) 7 July 2002 0 0 Finland Haka v.  Congo, 23 March 2023 PRE
DF Nikson Sarfino (2003-03-04) 4 March 2003 0 0 South Sudan Al-Merreikh Juba v.  Congo, 23 March 2023 PRE
MF Jackson Morgan (1998-08-18) 18 August 1998 14 0 Australia Bentleigh Greens v.  Congo, 27 March 2023
MF Shadrack Wani (2004-03-26) 26 March 2004 2 0 South Sudan Al-Malakia v.  Congo, 27 March 2023
MF Kennedy Juma (2004-07-03) 3 July 2004 0 0 South Sudan Mission v.  Congo, 27 March 2023
MF Joseph Loro (2004-07-07) 7 July 2004 0 0 South Sudan Munuki v.  Congo, 23 March 2023 PRE
MF Norman Lumumba (2005-11-15) 15 November 2005 0 0 Uganda Calvary v.  Congo, 23 March 2023 PRE
FW William Akio (1998-07-23) 23 July 1998 6 0 Canada Cavalry FC v.  Congo, 27 March 2023
FW Agwa Okuot Obiech (1996-03-01) 1 March 1996 1 0 Norway Brattvåg v.  Congo, 27 March 2023
FW Felix Abishai (2004-06-06) 6 June 2004 0 0 South Sudan Amarat United v.  Congo, 23 March 2023 PRE
FW Manyluak Aguek (2000-02-08) 8 February 2000 0 0 Australia Avondale v.  Congo, 23 March 2023 PRE
FW Dani Thon (2002-11-29) 29 November 2002 2 1 Czech Republic Blansko v.  Congo, 23 March 2023 PRE

Player records
As of 12 September 2023[19]
Players in bold are still active with South Sudan.

Most appearances
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Peter Chol 31 4 2015–present
2 Juma Genaro 30 0 2012–present
Dominic Abui Pretino 30 4 2013–present
4 Leon Uso Khamis 29 3 2012–present
5 Peter Maker 27 0 2018–present
6 Athir Thomas[lower-alpha 1] 21 1 2012–2019
7 Zachariah Adwin 20 0 2012–2017
David Dada 20 0 2014–2018
9 Aluck Akech 18 0 2014–present
James Moga[lower-alpha 2] 18 6 2012–2017
Tito Okello 18 5 2020–present

Top goalscorers
James Moga is South Sudan's top scorer with 6 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 James Moga[lower-alpha 2] 6 18 0.33 2012–2017
2 Tito Okello 5 18 0.28 2020–present
3 Joseph Kuch Nyuar 4 8 0.5 2017–2019
Dominic Abui Pretino 4 30 0.13 2013–present
Peter Chol 4 31 0.13 2015–present
6 Sebit Bruno 3 10 0.3 2015–2016
Atak Lual 3 13 0.23 2014–2018
Leon Uso Khamis 3 29 0.1 2012–present
9 Richard Justin Lado[lower-alpha 3] 2 8 0.25 2012–2017
Wurube Robert Lopidia 2 10 0.2 2016–2018
Valentino Yuel 2 12 0.17 2022–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 to Switzerland 1954 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
Sweden 1958 to South Africa 2010 Part of  Sudan Part of  Sudan
Brazil 2014 Did not enter Declined participation
Russia 2018 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 1 5
Qatar 2022 2 0 1 1 1 2
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined To be determined
Total 0/23 4 0 2 2 2 7

Africa Cup of Nations
Africa Cup of Nations record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Sudan 1957Part of  Sudan Part of  Sudan
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965
Ethiopia 1968
Sudan 1970
Egypt 1974
Ethiopia 1976
Ghana 1978
Nigeria 1980
Libya 1982
Ivory Coast 1984
Egypt 1986
Morocco 1988
Algeria 1990
Senegal 1992
Tunisia 1994
South Africa 1996
Burkina Faso 1998
Ghana Nigeria 2000
Mali 2002
Tunisia 2004
Egypt 2006
Ghana 2008
Angola 2010
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012Did not enter Did not enter
South Africa 2013
Equatorial Guinea 2015Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 5
Gabon 2017 6 1 0 5 3 15
Egypt 2019 8 1 0 7 8 20
Cameroon 2021 8 3 0 5 5 7
Ivory Coast 2023 In progress
Morocco 2025To be determined To be determined
Total–0/36–––––– 24 5 1 18 16 47

African Nations Championship
African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 0
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009 Part of  Sudan
Sudan 2011
South Africa 2014Did not qualify
Rwanda 2016
Morocco 2018
Cameroon 2020
Algeria 2022
Total–0/7––––––

CECAFA Cup
CECAFA Cup record
Appearances: 4
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Uganda 1973 to Tanzania 2010Part of  Sudan
Tanzania 2011Did not enter
Uganda 2012Group stage11th300307
Kenya 2013Group stage10th300327
Ethiopia 2015Quarter-finals6th422040
Kenya 2017Group stage9th301218
Uganda 2019Did not enter
TotalQuarter-finals4/4013238722

FIFA Arab Cup
FIFA Arab Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Lebanon 1963 to 20091Part of  SudanPart of  Sudan
Saudi Arabia 2012Not invitedNot invited
Qatar 2021Did not qualify 0[note 1]00103
Total0/9000000 000103

^1 The 2009 edition was cancelled during qualification.

Head-to-head record
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD WPCT
 Benin 2 0 0 2 2 6 −4 0.00
 Botswana 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 0.00
 Burkina Faso 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 0.00
 Burundi 3 0 1 2 2 8 −6 0.00
 Congo 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 50.00
 Djibouti 5 4 0 1 13 4 +9 80.00
 Egypt 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 0.00
 Equatorial Guinea 4 1 1 2 2 6 −4 25.00
 Ethiopia 3 0 0 3 0 6 −6 0.00
 Gabon 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0.00
 Gambia 3 0 0 3 3 6 −3 0.00
 Jordan 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0.00
 Kenya 5 1 0 4 2 8 −6 20.00
 Mali 6 0 0 6 1 18 −17 0.00
 Malawi 3 1 0 2 2 2 0 33.33
 Mauritania 2 0 1 1 1 5 −4 0.00
 Mozambique 2 0 1 1 0 5 −5 0.00
 Seychelles 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2 100.00
 Sierra Leone 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0.00
 Sudan 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0.00
 Uganda 5 1 1 3 4 12 −8 20.00
 Uzbekistan 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 0.00
 Zanzibar 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 0.00
Total 60 11 8 41 41 113 −72 18.33
Source: Results

Dual-internationals

The following South Sudanese international footballers have also played for Sudan national football team before the country's independence:

Notes & references

Notes
    1. The qualification match against Jordan was awarded to her due to a forfeit from South Sudan as multiple players and staff had positive COVID-19 test results upon their arrival in the qualifications hosts Qatar.
    1. Athir Thomas also appeared in four games for Sudan
    2. James Moga also won 18 caps and scored 5 goals for Sudan
    3. Richard Lado also appeared in over 70 matches for Sudan, scoring 9 goals

    References
    1. "BBC Storyville 2014 Soccer Coach Zoran and his African Tigers". YouTube. 18 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
    2. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
    3. Jacobs, Sean (25 May 2011). "Zoran and his African Tigers". Africas Country. Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
    4. https://swap.stanford.edu/20110707121643/http://www.goss-online.org/magnoliaPublic/en/home/mainColumnParagraphs/00/content_files/file7/AgendaWord.doc
    5. Martell, Peter (6 July 2011). "World's Newest Nation Set to Step Into Sporting Arena". Jakarta Globe. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
    6. Rice, Xan (10 July 2011). "South Sudan marks statehood with football match". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 30 September 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
    7. "Independent South Sudan play first football match". Kickoff.com. 11 July 2011. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
    8. South Sudan admitted as a member of CAF Archived 31 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine, SuperSport.com, Retrieved 10 February 2012.
    9. "FIFA Congress fully backs reform process, appoints first woman to Executive; welcomes South Sudan as 209th FIFA member". FIFA Congress. 25 May 2012. Archived from the original on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
    10. Mensah, Kent (27 May 2012). "South Sudan become Fifa's 209th member". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
    11. "South Sudan enter FIFA rankings". Reuters. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
    12. South Sudan set for international debuts at Cecafa cups Archived 11 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine BBC. Retrieved 12 November 2012
    13. World newest state set for CECAFA début Archived 5 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine Futaa.com. Retrieved 12 November 2012
    14. Ethiopia get tough draw for 2012 Cecafa Challenge Cup Archived 28 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine BBC. Retrieved 12 November 2012
    15. "Eritrea withdraws from Nations Cup Qualification". Reuters.com. 30 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
    16. "Eritrea withdraws from Can 2015". Cafonline.com. 30 March 2014. Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
    17. "FIFA Arab Cup 2021 qualification match between Jordan and South Sudan forfeited". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 21 June 2021.
    18. "Coach Stefano Cusin unveils a determined squad ready to conquer The Gambia followed with a friendly match against Egypt". Twitter. South Sudan Football Association. 10 June 2023.
    19. "South Sudan". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
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