Lifting a trophy by the South Sudan men's national football team might sound like a nightmare in the valleys of darkness. Yet, a simmering performance is infiltrating through notable progress in recent games and the audacity of the South Sudan Football Association.
Today marks the 13th anniversary since South Sudan joined FIFA on May 25, 2012. Augstino Maduot Parek, the President of South Sudan Football Association healed the broken hearts of fans for 13 years with a pledge that a bright star is shining at the end of the tunnel.
“This anniversary serves as a reminder of the progress we have made together and the bright future that lies ahead,” a statement of the Association, partly attributed to Maduot, reads.
Considering only less than 15 years of its independence, South Sudan has already left its mark on the global stage, though with scant wins against some of its peers. The April 3, 2025, ranking shows a walk back from 165th to 170th position in the world's football ranking, perhaps due to the occasional dropping in group stages during competitions.
South Sudan's lowest world football ranking was 205 in 2013, and the highest ranking 134 in 2015. Neither have the Giants of the Nile lifted any CECAFA, AFCON or World Cup trophy so far in their football history. However, the reality on the ground looks different.
In November 2024, South Sudan qualified for the second round of the 2025 Total Energies African Nations Championship after outshining Kenya 3:1. In March 2025, the Bright Stars scored a 76th-minute equaliser against Sudan in the World Cup Qualifiers despite their previous dismal performances against their immediate neighbour.
Maduot confides, “Despite the challenges we face, our administration is dedicated to driving a football renaissance in South Sudan.”
The Association's President is confident to up the performance of the national football team through numerous trainings that will boost the morale and skills and enable the Bright Stars offer their very best.
The Association reveals that it will inspire a vibrant future generation of football lovers who will dare to raise the flag of the youngest nation higher one day on the global map through soccer.
