(Reuters) Al-Yurae — League football has returned to war-torn Sudan for the first time in over two years with an eight-club, one-month tournament to crown the country’s champions.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023 between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, resulting in more than 150,000 deaths and displacing around 12 million people—the world’s largest displacement crisis.
Among the displaced are Sudan’s top clubs, Al Hilal and Al Merrikh, who have dominated the league since its inception in 1965, winning all but four championships.
Last season, both clubs played in Mauritania’s league, relocating their operations there to stay active. Al Hilal won the championship in Mauritania.
Now, both teams have returned to Sudan to compete in a tournament that will determine which clubs qualify for continental competitions in the 2025-26 season.
Al Hilal reached the quarterfinals of this year’s African Champions League despite hosting home matches on neutral ground. They recently won their opening match of the Sudanese Elite Championship against Al Merghani Kassala.
The tournament is being held in Ad-Damer, about 430 kilometers from Khartoum, which has suffered extensive damage from the civil war. Some matches are also played in Atbara, 320 kilometers north of the capital.
The competition features seven rounds, with Al Merrikh also starting strong by defeating Ahly Madani 1-0. The highly anticipated derby between Al Hilal and Al Merrikh is scheduled for the final day on July 22.
Other participating clubs include Zamalek, Umm Rawaba, Al Amal Atbara, Hay Al Wadi Nyala, and Merrikh Al Abyad. Each team will face the others once.
Sudan’s national team, preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco later this year and aiming for its first-ever World Cup appearance next year, has not played a home match since March 2023.
