South Sudan Advance Despite Home Defeat to Djibouti

South Sudan national football team secured qualification to the next round of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers despite a 1-0 defeat to Djibouti national football team at the Juba National Stadium.

South Sudan were led by fitness coach Brin George, with interim head coach Cyprian Ashu once again absent from the touchline for unknown reasons, while Djibouti were under the guidance of Mohammed Meraneh Hassan.

The Bright Stars came into the second leg with a commanding 4-0 advantage and managed the game to seal a 4-1 aggregate victory.

After a quiet first half with limited chances, Djibouti showed greater urgency after the break. Their persistence paid off in the 77th minute when Samuel Temidayo finished a well-worked move to give the visitors the lead.

South Sudan pushed for a response but were unable to break through, as Djibouti held on to claim victory on the night.

Despite the defeat, South Sudan remained firmly in control of the tie, with their dominant first-leg performance proving decisive.

Ranked among the 12 lowest teams at the time of the draw, the Bright Stars successfully navigated the preliminary hurdle and now advance to the group stage, joining 42 other nations under the Confederation of African Football.

This marks the third time South Sudan have progressed to the group stage of the AFCON qualifiers at the expense of Djibouti.

South Sudan will now look ahead to the next phase of the qualifiers as they continue their journey toward AFCON 2027.