By: Emmanuel Patrick Laku | Sports Hunter South
Juba - South Sudan’s U-17 delegation has departed Juba for Rwanda aboard an ECO Bus, just a day after securing a 4–3 victory over Young Dream Academy in their first-ever friendly match on Saturday morning.
Head coach Mawien Deng Ajing, popularly known as Manawa, leads a 28-member delegation comprising 20 players and eight technical staff.
The Junior Bright Stars have been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Rwanda, Sudan and Somalia for the CAF TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations regional qualifiers.
The tournament is scheduled to run from 10 to 20 October 2026, with teams competing for places at the continental U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
The top team from each group, along with the best second-placed team, will advance to the semi-finals. Three teams from the CECAFA zone will ultimately qualify for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
South Sudan’s best performance in the regional tournament came in 2022 in Ethiopia, when the Junior Bright Stars, under coach Bilal Felix, reached the final before losing 3–1 to eventual champions Somalia.
However, South Sudan were later disqualified from the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria due to an age-limit violation.
The Junior Bright Stars will now turn their attention to Rwanda, with hopes of making another strong run in the regional competition and securing a place at the 2027 continental finals.
