Junior Bright Stars in action against Sudan. December 18, 2024. (Photo: SSFA).

South Sudan’s U17 football team qualified to the semifinals of the AFCON’s CECAFA Qualifiers following a 1-0 victory over Group B opponents Sudan in Uganda on Wednesday.

Lazarus Peter scored the decisive goal in the 32nd minute – opening a crucial pathway on the road to the continental competition.

The junior Bright Stars now secured six points after kicking off their qualifiers campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Somalia at Nakivubo Hamz Stadium in Kampala on December 14.

The qualifiers that have attracted six teams will enter the knock out stage on December 24^th, 2024, and the finalists will qualify to represent the Zone at the TotalEnergies AFCON to take place in Ivory Coast next year.

South Sudan have set sight on the AFCON tournament – having made preparations after the junior team was disqualified from the last competition hosted by Algeria in April 2023 allegedly because five players failed age estimation test.

In December 5, the squad successfully passed the Magnetic Resonant Imaging (MRI) tests required to confirm age eligibility after a thorough verification process, overseen by a Confederation of African Football (CAF) doctor to guarantee fairness and accuracy.