Sudan's participation in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is "bringing hope" to the nation's people amid its civil war, forward Abobaker Eisa says. The conflict forced Sudan to play all their qualifying matches away from home, but they came through to book their Afcon spot for only the fourth time since 1976. As players, we know how much of a big deal football can be to our nation," Eisa told BBC World Service. "There's not a lot of smiles at the minute, so we're trying to use football as a way to get their minds off [the war]. "Even qualifying for the Afcon and having fans there to cheer us on – the fact that we're there is already bringing hope."

Source: BBC December 24, 2025 15:38 UTC