The Sudan national football team formed in 1936. The team affiliated to FIFA in 1948 and help found the Confederation of African Football in 1957. The national league in Sudan is the oldest in Africa, having begun in the 1920’s.
The team’s first official international match was a 2-1 loss to Ethiopia in 1956. Sudan’s record winning margin was set in an incredible 18-0 win over Muscat and Oman (now Oman) in 1965. The team’s record loss is a 8-0 defeat at the hands (or feet) of South Korea from 1979.
Sudan has had some success in regional competitions and has fared well in the Africa Cup of Nations. The team won the Cup of Nations as hosts in 1970 and came second in both 1959 and 1963. The last four decades have not been so good to Sudan, who have found it difficult to qualify for the competition. The 2012 cup brought something of a return to form with a quarter-final appearance.
War has scarred the Sudan national football team’s participation in world cup qualifying. From 1958 to 1966 war stopped a team from entering, as it did in 1978 and 1994. However, the team has entered every qualifying campaign since 1998.
Ranked 120th by FIFA, Sudan’s recent resurgence will need to continue if they are to progress towards the top 100.
World cup 2018
Fixtures to be announced.
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