Beginning and an African giant (1946–1970)

The Sudan Football Association was founded in 1936 and thus it became one of the oldest football associations to exist in Africa. However, before the foundation of the Football Association, Sudan had started experiencing football brought to the country by the British colonizers since early 20th century via Egypt. Other Sudanese clubs founded at that time include Al-Hilal Omdurman, Al-Merrikh, which led to popularization of football in the country. The Khartoum League became the first national league to be played in Sudan, laying ground for the future development of Sudanese football.

Being experienced early with football, Sudan was quick to affiliate itself with FIFA in 1948, and soon after, Sudanese officials were instrumental, along with Ethiopian, South African and Egyptian counterparts, forming the Confederation of African Football in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum in 1957.^[3] Following the establishment of CAF, Sudan participated in the 1957 African Cup of Nations, the first historic Africa Cup of Nations which Sudan was host. The national team finished third, as South Africa was banned over apartheid.

During that early era, Sudan produced some of the finest players, most notably Mustafa Azhari, the captain of Sudan during this period; Nasr El-Din Abbas, who became Sudan's top scorer in the country's football team; Siddiq Manzul, who was an instrumental leader in Sudan's forward; Ali Gagarin with his meteoric ability. Sudan then won the 1970 African Cup of Nations, their only African trophy up to date.^[3]

Decline (1970–2008)

With the retirement of a significant number of Sudanese football star at the time, the national team of Sudan deteriorated. Sudan participated in 1972 and 1976 editions, but Sudan wasn't able to get out of the group stage. At the time, Sudan was plagued by the first and second civil wars that led to football in the country being largely unable to retain its status. Likewise, Sudan also suffered from series of political upheavals that drained the country's football resources.^[3] As such, Sudan struggled to qualify for another AFCON, and the country has yet to qualify for a single FIFA World Cup. Only Libya being the other major Arab country in Africa to have never achieved the feat. Often Sudan participated in AFCON qualification and majority finished in bottom or near bottom of their qualification. This was totally contrasted to their successes in club competition, as Sudanese clubs were omnipresent in CAF Champions League.^[3]

Small resurgence (2008–2012)

On 9 September 2007, Sudan beat World Cup participant Tunisia 3–2 at home, making Sudan the top finisher in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group 4. This meant Sudan had finally returned to the AFCON after 32 years. In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, their first in 32 years, Sudan was grouped in group C, which they shared with Egypt, Cameroon and Zambia. Sudan lost all three competitive games finishing at the bottom of their group.

Sudan reached the final round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers but finished last with only a point, failing to reach AFCON and World Cup.

Sudan (as hosts) automatically qualified for the 2011 African Nations Championship. They finished top of their group which consisted of Algeria, Uganda and Gabon to then advance to the knockout stages. After defeating Niger on penalties in the quarterfinals, they lost against Angola in the semifinals (also on penalties) to then win 1–0 against former groupmates Algeria (who also lost on penalties in the semifinals) and finish third in the Championship, their first top 4 finish in a major African tournament since 1970.

In the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Sudan was once again in the same group with Ghana, alongside Swaziland and Congo. Sudan lost only one game and reached the tournament In the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, in group B, Sudan finished second behind Ivory Coast, and overcame Angola by goal difference to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 1970. Sudan played Zambia in the last eight, and lost 0–3. Zambia would go on to win the tournament for the first time.

Downfall (2012–2018)

In 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, Sudan suffered a huge blow when they lost to neighbor Ethiopia by away goal, losing 0–2 in Addis Ababa after a very eventful 5–3 win at home, thus missed out the competition. Since then, Sudan continued to struggle qualifying for the African Cup of Nations for the next 7 years. They also had no success qualifying for the African Nations Championship after their 3rd-place finish in 2011 for a while until 2018.

Fluctuation (2018–present)

In 2018 they qualified for the 2018 African Nations Championship after failing to do so in two previous competitions and finished 3rd place, and it was seen as a signal heralding a new era of Sudanese football. Shortly after, with an almost identical crop of players, Sudan succeeded in qualifying for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, finishing ahead of powerhouse South Africa, including two famous wins at home against Ghana and South Africa and eliminated the South Africans in process, successfully returned to the AFCON after nine years. The optimism increased when Sudan beat Libya 1–0 in the qualification for the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, under the same management of French coach Hubert Velud, making impressions that Sudan would soon recover its glorious place among Arab and African football nations.

However, Sudan has a disastrous opening during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. Being drawn with the likes of a fellow Arab state and powerhouse Morocco, as well as Guinea-Bissau and Guinea which have never taken part in a World Cup like Sudan, the Sudanese were still being regarded as somewhat better than the two Guineas and could be a potential competitor against Morocco. Sudan started its quest with a 0–2 away to the Moroccans in Rabat, which was seen as acceptable. Yet in the home fixture against Guinea-Bissau, Sudan was completely trashed by the Bissau-Guineans 2–4, to leave the team in the bottom place and reducing hopes to qualify for a maiden World Cup. Sudan's hope was completely dashed after winning only two points after two consecutive draws over Guinea, effectively making Sudan the first team to be eliminated in the group.

2023

Uganda  v  Sudan

3 January Friendly	Uganda	2–2	Sudan	Tunisia
16:00 UTC+1	Karim Watambala 2' Ibrahim Orit 13'	Report	Muhamed Abdelrahman pen' (6) Sedig Kuwa 65'	Stadium: Venue Stade Municipal de Jemmal

Sudan  v  Morocco

15 January 2022 African Nations Championship	Sudan	Cancelled	Morocco	Constantine, Algeria
18:00 UTC+1		Report		Stadium: Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium

Ghana  v  Sudan

19 January 2022 African Nations Championship	Ghana	3–1	Sudan	Constantine, Algeria
21:00 UTC+1	Yiadom 45+3' Afriyie 65' Suraj 90+8'	Report	Nouh 31'	Stadium: Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium

Sudan  v  Madagascar

23 January 2022 African Nations Championship	Sudan	0–3	Madagascar	Constantine, Algeria
21:00 UTC+1		Report	Randriatsiferana 13' Razafindranaivo 30' Rafanomezantsoa 33'	Stadium: Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium

Gabon  v  Sudan

23 March 2023 AFCON qualification	Gabon	1–0	Sudan	Franceville, Gabon
20:00 UTC+1	Palun 71'	Report		Stadium: Stade de Franceville Referee: Haythem Guirat (Tunisia)

Sudan  v  Gabon

27 March 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification	Sudan	1–0	Gabon	Omdurman, Sudan
18:00 UTC+2	Kome 67'	Report		Stadium: Al Hilal Stadium Referee: Lotfi Bekouassa (Algeria)

Kuwait  v  Sudan

15 June Friendly

Kuwait

2–1

Sudan

Cairo, Egypt

Sudan  v  Mauritania

20 June 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification	Sudan	0–3	Mauritania	Agadir, Morocco
18:00 UTC±0		Report	El Abd 26' Houbeib 49' Tanjy 55'	Stadium: Adrar Stadium Referee: Ibrahim Mutaz (Libya)

DR Congo  v  Sudan

9 September 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification	DR Congo	2–0	Sudan	Kinshasa, DR Congo
17:00 UTC+1	Bongonda 8' Mayele 87'	Report		Stadium: Stade des Martyrs Referee: Samir Guezzaz (Morocco)

Sudan  v  Tanzania

15 October Friendly	Sudan	1–1	Tanzania	Taif, Saudi Arabia
19:00 UTC+3	Musab	Report	Bajana	Stadium: King Fahd Sports City

Sudan  v  Chad

17 October Friendly	Sudan	1–0	Chad	Taif, Saudi Arabia
19:00 UTC+3	Mazen 30'	Report		Stadium: King Fahd Sports City

Chad  v  Sudan

20 October Friendly	Chad	1–1	Sudan	Taif, Saudi Arabia
19:00 UTC+3		Report	Abuaagla 18'	Stadium: King Fahd Sports City

Libya  v  Sudan

11 November Friendly	Libya	2–1	Sudan	Benina, Libya
18:00 UTC+2	Al Badri 16' Al Khouja 70'	Report	Hemedelnil 68'	Stadium: Martyrs of February Stadium Attendance: 0

Sudan  v  Togo

16 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Sudan	1–1	Togo	Benina, Libya
18:00 UTC+2	Eisa 17' (pen.)	Report	Denkey 43'	Stadium: Martyrs of February Stadium Referee: Andofetra Rakotojaona (Madagascar)

Sudan  v  DR Congo

19 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Sudan	1–0	DR Congo	Benina, Libya
18:00 UTC+2	Pickel 79' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Martyrs of February Stadium Attendance: 3,700 Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification - CAF Group B matches against Togo & DR Congo on 16 and 19 November 2023.^[4]

Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2023, after the match against DR Congo.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
	1GK	Ali Abu Eshrein	(1989-12-06) 6 December 1989	33	0	Al-Hilal
	1GK	Mohamed Mustafa	(1996-02-19) 19 February 1996	21	0	Al-Merrikh
	1GK	Munjed Alnil	(1996-01-01) 1 January 1996	5	0	Hilal Alsahil
	2DF	Ramadan Agab (Captain)	(1986-02-20) 20 February 1986	62	7	Al-Merrikh
	2DF	Mustafa Karshoum	(1992-12-06) 6 December 1992	22	0	Al-Merrikh
	2DF	Bakhit Khamis	(1994-01-01) 1 January 1994	20	0	Al-Merrikh
	2DF	Muhamed Ahmed Saeed	(1997-10-20) 20 October 1997	20	0	Al-Hilal
	2DF	Awad Zayed	(1993-01-01) 1 January 1993	13	0	Al Ahli
	2DF	Ahmed Tabanja	(2000-09-02) 2 September 2000	3	0	Al-Merrikh
	2DF	Mazen Bashir	(2002-10-02) 2 October 2002	2	0	Hay Al-Arab
	2DF	Esmat Abdelhameed	(2002-09-10) 10 September 2002	1	0	Al-Hilal
	2DF	Altayeb Abdelrazeg	(1991-01-01) 1 January 1991	1	0	Al-Hilal
	3MF	Abuaagla Abdalla	(1993-03-11) 11 March 1993	60	3	Al-Hilal
	3MF	Muhamed Alrasheed	(1994-01-01) 1 January 1994	30	1	Al-Merrikh
	3MF	Abdel Raouf	(1993-07-18) 18 July 1993	19	1	Al-Hilal
	3MF	Ahmed Al-Tash	(1993-03-07) 7 March 1993	18	2	Al-Merrikh
	3MF	Salah Adel	(1995-04-03) 3 April 1995	18	0	Al-Hilal
	3MF	Emad Salah	(1993-06-05) 5 June 1993	10	0	Al-Hilal
	3MF	Suliman Ezallah	(2005-02-10) 10 February 2005	3	0	Al-Hilal
	3MF	Musab Abdallah	(2004-05-02) 2 May 2004	3	0	Al Ahli
	4FW	Yaser Muzmel	(1992-01-01) 1 January 1992	38	5	Al-Hilal
	4FW	Seif Teiri	(1994-01-01) 1 January 1994	31	9	Pharco
	4FW	Al-Jezoli Nouh	(2002-10-24) 24 October 2002	26	1	Al-Merrikh
	4FW	Yasin Hamed	(1999-09-12) 12 September 1999	11	0	Gyori ETO
	4FW	Musab Ahmed	(1993-12-10) 10 December 1993	6	1	Al Ahli
	4FW	Ali Abdallah Hemedelnil	(2003-05-17) 17 May 2003	4	1	Hay Al-Wadi
	4FW	Mazen Fadl	(2008-07-26) 26 July 2008	3	0	Hay Al-Wadi
	4FW	Sheddy Barglan	(2002-10-03) 3 October 2002	2	0	Den Bosch
	4FW	Mohamed Eisa	(1994-07-12) 12 July 1994	2	1	Milton Keynes Dons
	4FW	Abo Eisa	(1996-01-05) 5 January 1996	2	0	Grimsby Town
	4FW	Sufian Abdallah	(2000-01-16) 16 January 2000	1	0	Hay Al-Arab
	4FW	Ayman Abdelrahman	(1994-01-01) 1 January 1994	1	0	Kray
	4FW	Jusif Ali	(2000-05-04) 4 May 2000	1	0	Lahti

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Sudan in the last 12 months.

Most appearances

Haitham Mustafa is Sudan's most capped player with 99 appearances.

Top goalscorers

FIFA World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Part of  United Kingdom									Part of  United Kingdom
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958	Withdrew in qualification									2	1	1	0	2	1
1962	Withdrew									Withdrew
1966
1970	Did not qualify									8	2	4	2	15	16
1974										2	1	0	1	1	2
1978	Withdrew									Withdrew
1982	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	1	3
1986										4	0	3	1	1	5
1990										2	0	1	1	1	2
1994	Withdrew									Withdrew
1998	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	3
2002										10	5	0	5	10	12
2006										12	2	4	6	9	22
2010										12	3	1	8	11	18
2014										6	0	2	4	3	14
2018										2	0	0	2	0	3
2022										8	1	4	3	8	13
2026	To be determined									1	0	1	0	1	1
2030										To be determined
2034
Total		0/25							72	16	21	35	64	114

Olympic Games record

Olympic Games
Appearances: 1
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1896 – 1956	Did not enter
1960	Did not qualify
1964
1968
1972	Group stage	15th	3	0	0	3	1	5
1976	Did not qualify
1980	Did not enter
1984	Did not qualify
1988
1992
1996	Did not enter
2000	Did not qualify
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
Total	Group stage	1/26	3	0	0	3	1	5

• Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since the 1992 edition.

Africa Cup of Nations record

Africa Cup of Nations										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Third place	3rd	1	0	0	1	1	2		Qualified as hosts
1959	Runners-up	2nd	2	1	0	1	2	2		No qualification
1962	Did not enter									Did not enter
1963	Runners-up	2nd	3	1	1	1	6	5		2	2	0	0	6	0
1965	Did not qualify									6	4	1	1	14	7
1968										3	1	0	2	4	5
1970	Champions	1st	5	4	0	1	8	3		Qualified as hosts
1972	Group stage	7th	3	0	2	1	4	6		Qualified as defending champions
1974	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	2	3
1976	Group stage	7th	3	0	2	1	3	4		4	3	0	1	7	4
1978	Withdrew									Withdrew
1980	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	4
1982	Did not enter									Did not enter
1984	Did not qualify									4	2	1	1	4	6
1986	Withdrew									Withdrew
1988	Did not qualify									4	2	1	1	3	3
1990										2	1	0	1	1	1
1992										4	2	0	2	3	3
1994										6	1	2	3	2	9
1996										10	3	2	5	10	14
1998	Withdrew									Withdrew
2000	Did not enter									Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify									8	2	1	5	9	10
2004										6	3	1	2	9	6
2006										12	2	4	6	9	22
2008	Group stage	16th	3	0	0	3	0	9		6	5	0	1	13	4
2010	Did not qualify									10	2	1	7	7	15
2012	Quarter-finals	8th	4	1	1	2	4	7		6	4	1	1	8	3
2013	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	5	5
2015										6	1	0	5	3	11
2017										4	1	1	2	2	3
2019										6	1	0	5	5	13
2021	Group stage	20th	3	0	1	2	1	4		6	4	0	2	9	3
2023	Did not qualify									6	2	0	4	3	10
2025	To be determined									To be determined
2027
Total	1 Title	9/36	27	7	7	13	29	42		127	50	17	60	140	164

African Games record

African Games
Appearances: 1
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1965	Did not enter
1973
1978	Did not enter
1987	Did not qualify
1991	Did not enter
1995
1999
2003	Withdrew
2007	Did not enter
2011
2015	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	2	2
2019	To be determined
2023
All Total	Group stage	1/11	3	1	1	1	2	2

• Prior to the Cairo 1991 campaign, the Football at the All-Africa Games was open to full senior national teams.

African Nations Championship record

African Nations Championship record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not qualify									4	1	1	2	7	6
2011	Third place	3rd	6	4	1	1	5	2		Qualified as hosts
2014	Did not qualify									2	0	2	0	2	2
2016										2	0	0	2	0	4
2018	Third place	3rd	6	4	1	1	5	3		4	2	2	0	3	1
2020	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	2
2022	Qualified									2	2	0	0	7	3
Total	Third place	2/6	12	8	2	2	10	5

CECAFA Cup

CECAFA Cup
Appearances: 22
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1973	Did not enter
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979	Group stage	6th	2	0	1	1	1	5
1980	Champions	1st	4	3	0	1	5	2
1981	Group stage	7th	3	0	2	1	2	4
1982		6th	2	0	0	2	0	3
1983		5th	4	2	1	1	4	3
1984	Did not enter
1985
1987
1988
1989
1990	Runners-up	2nd	4	2	1	1	5	3
1991	Fourth place	4th	4	0	1	3	3	9
1992	Did not enter
1994
1995
1996	Third place	3rd	4	1	2	1	6	6
1999	Quarter-finals	8th	3	0	2	1	1	4
2000	Did not enter
2001
2002	Group stage	6th	4	1	1	2	4	5
2003	Fourth place	4th	4	2	1	1	8	2
2004	Third place	3rd	5	3	1	1	11	6
2005	Group stage	6th	4	2	0	2	7	12
2006	Champions	1st	6	2	3	1	7	4
2007		1st	5	2	3	0	8	6
2008	Group stage	6th	4	1	2	1	3	2
2009	Did not enter
2010	Group stage	10th	3	0	1	2	0	5
2011	Third place	3rd	6	3	3	0	6	3
2012	Group stage	9th	3	1	0	2	1	3
2013	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	0	2	8	4
2015	Fourth place	4th	6	2	1	3	7	4
2017	Did not enter
2019	Group stage		3	0	2	1	2	3
Total	3 Titles	22/39	89	31	29	34	89	64

Arab Cup record

Arab Cup
Appearances: 4
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1963	Did not enter
1964
1966
1985	Did not qualify
1988	Did not enter
1992
1998	Group stage	7th	2	1	0	1	2	4
2002		7th	4	1	1	2	4	5
2012		7th	3	1	2	0	4	2
2021		16th	3	0	0	3	0	10
Total	Group stage	4/10	12	3	3	6	10	21

Arab Games record

Arab Games
Appearances: 3
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1953	Did not enter
1957
1961
1965	Silver Medal	2nd	6	5	0	1	32	5
1976	Did not enter
1985
1992
1997
1999
2004	No tournament
2007	Group stage	5th	4	0	0	4	0	12
2011	Group stage	5th	3	1	1	1	1	2
2023	Bronze Medal	3rd	5	2	1	2	8	6
Total	Silver Medal	4/12	18	8	2	8	41	25

• Prior to the Algeria 2023 campaign, the Football at the Arab Games was open to full senior national teams.