South Sudan U20 football team. (Photo: SSFA).

South Sudan plays Uganda in the finals of the East and Central Africa U-20 football championship in Sudan, as the Bright Stars hope to dethrone tough Hippos and lift the cup for the first time.

The South Sudan team sailed to the finals on Wednesday after beating Ethiopia on penalties.

They take on defending champions Uganda tonight at 7 PM, and a win for the Bright Stars will see them become the CECAFA champions, in what may be a huge step for the country’s growing sports industry.

On Thursday, the youngsters trained for the last time at Sudan Academy Playground ahead of the evening showdown against Hippos at Hilal Stadium.

The president of the country’s football governing body, General Augustino Maduot, former SSFA President Francis Michael Amin and several fans turned up to hail the team before the tough battle against Ugandan Hippos.

Both Uganda and South Sudan have also secured qualification to the 17th edition of the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations  that will be played in Egypt in February next year.

The 12 qualifying teams from different continental zones; North, West, East Central, and South will be divided into groups in the finals in Egypt.

Egypt qualified as the host country, and awaits the second team to qualify from the North Africa zone which may be Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, or Libya.

From Zone West Africa B, both Nigeria and Benin are to battle in the final for a place in Egypt.

Meanwhile in Zone West Africa A, Senegal and Gambia are in the final, while Mozambique and Zambia will fight for a place from Zone South Africa. However, Gabon is still waiting for the second qualifier from the group.

The top four teams from different regions in the continent will then qualify for the 2023 U-20 World Cup to be held in Indonesia later that year.

The defending champions of next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations are Ghana – having won their 4th title in 2021.

Unfortunately, they will not defend the title in Egypt next year after failing to qualify for the tournament.