(DDM) – Sudan, a country battered by one of the world’s deadliest conflicts, has found an unexpected source of unity and hope in football.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the Sudanese national team, the Falcons of Jediane, is on the brink of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in history.
The East African nation has endured a brutal civil war since April 2023, when clashes erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.
The conflict has destroyed cities, split communities, and created what the United Nations calls the “world’s largest humanitarian disaster.”
Humanitarian agencies estimate that over 13 million people have been displaced, while famine, cholera outbreaks, and hunger stalk millions more.
Morgues in the capital Khartoum are overflowing, with unburied corpses lying on the streets, leaving families in grief and despair.
Yet in the midst of this turmoil, the Falcons of Jediane have defied expectations to remain unbeaten in six matches of the CAF World Cup qualifiers.
Sudan currently sits in second place in Group B, tied on points with Senegal, the reigning African champions, and only one point away from automatic qualification.
If they succeed, it would be Sudan’s first-ever ticket to football’s biggest stage, the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
This would be an extraordinary achievement for a country where domestic football had been completely suspended after the war broke out.
Stadiums were abandoned, clubs collapsed, and entire youth academies were left in ruins as fighting spread across Khartoum and Darfur.
Two of Sudan’s biggest football powerhouses, Al-Hilal and Al-Merrikh, became central to the survival of the national team.
An unusual deal was struck with Mauritania, allowing both clubs to play in its Premier League while Sudan’s war continued at home.
That lifeline kept Sudanese players competitive, ensuring the national side could still field a strong squad in international fixtures.
Observers say this bold move mirrored the resilience of Sudan’s people, who have endured years of hardship yet still find ways to survive.
Fans have rallied around the team, watching games on shared radios, mobile phones, or makeshift television gatherings in refugee camps.
For many, football has become a brief escape from the violence, a reminder of pride and unity in a divided country.
Sports historians note that Sudan was once a founding member of the Confederation of African Football in 1957.
The nation even hosted and won the 1970 Africa Cup of Nations, marking a golden era before decades of instability and neglect pushed Sudanese football into decline.
For half a century, Sudan never returned to the summit of African football, qualifying only once more for AFCON in 2012.
Now, their surprise run in the World Cup qualifiers has drawn comparisons to other underdog stories in African football.
Analysts point to Togo’s shock qualification for the 2006 World Cup and South Africa’s spirited 2010 hosting of the tournament.
But Sudan’s case is more dramatic, unfolding in the shadow of civil war and one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century.
FIFA itself has not been blind to the challenges, granting special waivers for Sudan’s home games to be played abroad in neutral venues.
Despite the difficulties, the Falcons have shown grit, discipline, and belief, defeating stronger teams and drawing inspiration from the resilience of their displaced supporters.
Critics argue that success on the pitch cannot erase the pain of war, but they acknowledge its role in lifting morale.
“Football is the only thing that reminds us we are still one people,” a Sudanese refugee in Chad told DDM.
If the Falcons secure qualification, it would mark one of the most remarkable triumphs in global sports history, a victory for hope over despair.
For now, the nation waits, balancing between grief and glory, as a divided people dare to dream of unity through football.
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