The national U-20 team pose for a group photo before battling Somalia during the CECAFA U-20 championship in Uganda in 2019 | Credit | SSFA

The South Sudan U-20 national football team have been drawn in pool B for the 2020 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) U-20 qualifiers, CECAFA region.

South Sudan lost to Sudan in 2019 championship hosted in Gulu and FUFA Technical Center, Njeru.

South Sudan will this time round play alongside Burundi, Eritrea and Uganda.

Coach Simon James Yor has summoned over 50 players, who started preparation last weekend at Buluk technical center in Juba.

The team have played three friendly matches so far, winning all the three.

Hosts Tanzania are in group A with Rwanda, Somalia and Djibouti.

Group C has only three countries where Ethiopia lie with Kenya and Sudan.

Eleven countries in the region expressed interest in this championship that will be staged in Dar es Salaam in November 2020.

In 2019, Sudan beat South Sudan 1-0 in the last 8 stage played in Gulu.

Only one team that emerge as champion will qualify to represent the East and Central Africa zone (CECAFA) at next year’s AFCON U-20 tournament.

In another development, the national U-17 team have been drawn in group C alongside Eritrea and Rwanda.

The team is yet to be summoned by head coach Albino.

The AFCON U-20 Qualifiers will be hosted by Tanzania from 22 November to 6 December 2020.

Meanwhile, the AFCON U-17 Qualifiers will take place between 13 and 28 December 2020 in Rwanda.

CECAFA U20 Groups

Group A: Tanzania (Host), Rwanda, Somalia

Group B: Burundi, Eritrea, South Sudan, Uganda

Group C: Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan

CECAFA U17 Groups

Group A: Rwanda (Host), Eritrea, South Sudan

Group B: Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya

Group C: Sudan, Djibouti, Tanzania