By: Emmanuel Patrick Laku | Sports Hunter South Sudan | 1st Aug, 2026
JUBA, South Sudan – Yei Joint Stars captain Mary Anger has declared that the South Sudan champions are determined to make history by reaching the knockout stage of the CAF Women's Champions League CECAFA Qualifiers for the first time.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Sports Hunter, the skipper said the team is preparing with confidence and believes this year's campaign can mark a turning point after years of valuable experience on the regional stage.
"Regarding our preparation for the CECAFA tournament, I can say we are preparing well and we hope to achieve something special. We don't want to be knocked out like in previous years. We are praying that this time we will reach another level," Mary Anger said.
Yei Joint Stars have represented South Sudan in every edition of the CAF Women's Champions League CECAFA Qualifiers since the competition was introduced in 2021, becoming the first South Sudanese women's club to feature in five consecutive editions.
The club competed in Kenya (2021), Tanzania (2022), Uganda (2023), Ethiopia (2024) and Kenya (2025), but is yet to reach the semi-finals, exiting at the group stage in each campaign.Despite that record, Yei Joint Stars have continued to grow with every appearance.
Their best campaign came in 2025, when they finished second in Group C and produced a memorable 4-2 comeback victory over JKU Princess of Zanzibar. Goals from Grace Aluka, Immaculate Ambayo, Mariam Luis Lasuba, together with an own goal, secured one of the club's most significant victories in regional competition.
The Super qQueen's all-time leading scorer in the CECAFA qualifiers remains Alworonga Debora with four goals in the 2022 edition, while, Kilega Eunice, Grace Aluka, Immaculate Ambayo, and Mariam Luis Lasuba have also contributed goals across the tournament's history.
Armed with five years of experience and renewed belief, Coach Harriat Sony's will be hoping that their sixth campaign finally delivers the breakthrough that has eluded South Sudan's most successful women's club on the regional stage.
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