By Victor Kanayo
Following months of crisis, league football has reportedly returned in Sudan for the first time in over two years.
This is as the country launches one-month competition featuring eight top clubs to determine its national champions amid ongoing conflict.
According to local media reports, the resumption of league action comes despite the devastating civil war that has gripped Sudan since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the national army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Devastating War
The conflict has claimed more than 150,000 lives and displaced around 12 million people, creating the world’s largest displacement crisis.
Among the teams participating in the makeshift tournament are Sudan’s football giants – Al Hilal and Al Merrikh.
The two clubs have dominated the domestic scene since the national league’s inception in 1965, winning all but four of the titles between them.
Forced Relocation
During the height of the conflict, both clubs were forced to relocate operations to Mauritania in West Africa, where they played league matches last season.
Al Hilal emerged champions in that campaign while hosting their continental fixtures on neutral ground due to security concerns.
Back Home With Actions
Both sides have kicked off their campaigns in the newly introduced Sudanese Elite Championship, which will determine the clubs eligible for the 2025/26 CAF continental competitions.
Matches are being staged in the relatively safer cities of Ad-Damer, located 430 kilometres from the embattled capital Khartoum, and Atbara, about 320 kilometres north.
Al Hilal began their campaign with a win over Al Merghani Kassala, while Al Merrikh also secured victory, edging Ahly Madani 1–0 over the weekend.
Their much-anticipated derby clash is scheduled for the final day of the competition on July 22, 2025.
The other clubs in the competition are Zamalek, Umm Rawaba, Al Amal Atbara, Hay Al Wadi Nyala, and Merrikh Al Abyad.
Each team will play the others once, with seven rounds of fixtures to be completed over the month.
National Team Pulling Strings Amidst Crisis
Despite the return of league football, Sudan’s national teams remain in limbo, having not played a home match since March 2023.
Sudan Men’s National team, also known as the Falcons of Jediane, are set to compete at the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and are also in contention for a historic first appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
