2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON): South Sudan U-17 national football team [PHOTO: SSFA]

South Sudan will join eight other East and Central African teams in the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifiers.

In a statement published by CECAFA on Thursday, November 7, the tournament will be hosted by Uganda from December 14-28, 2024.

Teams from Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and host Uganda will compete alongside South Sudan.

The top two teams from this CECAFA (Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations) zone will earn places in the continental tournament.

The qualifiers are set to take place from December 14 to 28, 2024

CECAFA Competitions Director Yusuf Mossi, who recently inspected venues in Bukedea, Mbale, and Kampala, anticipates high competition, with most teams already training.

Mossi emphasized that all participating players must undergo Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests before departing for Uganda, with additional checks by CAF doctors upon arrival.

This measure follows an incident in May 2023, when CAF disqualified South Sudan from the U-17 Nations Cup in Algeria over age eligibility issues.

Five players on the Bright Star Juniors team failed MRI tests.

Michael Daniel, Chairman of the National Teams Committee at the South Sudan Football Association, expressed confusion over the disqualification, noting that two of the disqualified players had previously participated in a CECAFA tournament in Ethiopia and were born in 2006 and 2008.

In 2022, South Sudan reached the final of the Cup of Nations (AFCON) U-17 Zonal qualifiers held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. However, Somalia emerged victorious over South Sudan with a 3-1 win in the final.

This victory secured Somalia’s place in the U-17 AFCON tournament.