AFCON 2021: Sudan – Team guide, key players and full fixtures

The idea of building for the future, while an admirable one, can be severely undermined by the timing of its execution.

Sudan’s decision to send a young, inexperienced team to this year’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is one which seems particularly misguided. Writing off a major tournament on a whim is hardly the way to go, and in truth the Falcons of Jediane risk an embarrassment in Cameroon if this experiment does not come off. 

The team that qualified would have at least faced a tough Group D with confidence, emboldened by a qualifying campaign during which they beat both Ghana and South Africa, ultimately beating the latter to a place in Cameroon. Things have gone a little off since, to be fair: Sudan finished bottom of their World Cup qualifying group, and won only two of their 10 matches in 2021. Both wins came back in March.

Sudan are ranked 125 in the world per the most recent FIFA ranking, and by that measure they are Africa’s 33rd best country.

The Falcons won their only AFCON on home soil in 1970, with three other podium finishes – including two Final appearances – coming in the late 50s and early 60s. Since that triumph, they have only made it past the Group Stage on one occasion, in 2012.

Sudan fired former manager Hubert Velud less than a month to the start of the AFCON following poor performances at the FIFA Arab Cup. Burhan Tia has since taken charge. Not a lot is known of Tia beyond his stated emphasis on “seriousness and discipline”, and the fact he has cut a number of players who were influential in qualifying. Without the benefit of competitive matches to appraise, it is close to impossible to tell how Sudan will set up when the AFCON kicks off. The best guess is that Tia does not deviate from the 4-3-3 system under Velud.

Tia has so drastically altered the composition of the team that it’s difficult to be sure what to expect. However, forward Mohamed Abdelrahman will probably carry their biggest attacking threat. The Al-Hilal player scored 50% of Sudan’s total in 2021, and has a better than one in two goal ratio for the national team since making his debut in 2017.

From midfield, Walieldin Khedr will play an important role in supporting the attack.

Algozoli Nooh only made his debut in the summer of 2021, but already he has established himself as part of the future of the national team. The 19-year-old is a lively winger who has, in all likelihood, already played his way into the starting lineup.

Abu Ashreen; Salaheldin Nemer, Mustafa Abdelgader Karshoum, Elsadig Hassan, Mazin Mohamedein; Mohamed Al Rasheed, Walieldin Khedr, Dhiya Mahjoub; Yasin Hamed, Mohamed Abdelrahman, Algozoli Nooh.

Sudan’s squad composition has made an onerous task even more difficult. For all the big talking Tia has done, there is little scope that this side will be ready in time, and it would take a minor miracle for them to make any kind of impression in Cameroon. As it stands, they are firm favourites to finish bottom of Group D.