| Nickname | Bright Stars[1] | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | CECAFA (East & Central Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Nicolas Dupuis | ||
| Captain | Juma Genaro | ||
| Mostcaps | Peter Chol (46) | ||
| Top scorer | James Moga Tito Okello (6) | ||
| Home stadium | Juba National Stadium | ||
| FIFA code | SSD | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 168 | ||
| Highest | 134 (November 2015) | ||
| Lowest | 205 (September 2013) | ||
| First international | |||
(Juba,South Sudan; 10 July 2012) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
(Juba,South Sudan; 28 March 2017) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
(Maputo,Mozambique; 18 May 2014) (Juba,South Sudan; 10 October 2025) | |||
| CECAFA Cup | |||
| Appearances | 4 (first in2012) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2015) | ||
TheSouth Sudan national football team representsSouth Sudan in internationalfootball and is controlled by theSouth Sudan Football Association, the governing body for football inSouth Sudan.
Zoran Đorđević was appointed on 25 May 2011 to oversee the national team.[4] For their inaugural year the team was featured in aStoryville episode calledSoccer Coach Zoran and his African Tigers. The national team's first international fixture was due to be against theKenya national team on 10 July 2011 as part of the country's independence celebrations.[5][6] However, in the event the opposition was provided byTusker of theKenyan Premier League,[7] alongside the first international fixture of thenational basketball team. The match was played at theJuba Stadium. South Sudan scored within ten minutes, but they later conceded three goals in a 3–1 defeat.[8] South Sudan was officially admitted as aCAF member on 10 February 2012, at the 34th CAF Ordinary General Assembly hosted inLibreville,Gabon.[9] South Sudan was admitted as aFIFA member on 25 May 2012 at the second session of the 62nd FIFA Congress hosted inBudapest,Hungary.[10][11]
On 10 July 2012, South Sudan competed in its first full international match, a friendly againstUganda inJuba.[12] The match ended in a 2–2 draw, withJames Moga andRichard Justin Lado scoring for South Sudan. This match resulted in South Sudan entering the FIFA rankings at the start of August in 199th place.[12]
The South Sudanese took part in their first ever international football tournament when they took part in the2012 CECAFA Cup inUganda.[13][14] They were drawn in Group A alongsideEthiopia, Kenya, and hosts Uganda.[15] The national team played their first match against Ethiopia, losing 1–0 through aYonathan Kebede goal. In their next match, they lost 2–0 against Kenya. Their final match saw them suffer a 4–0 loss to Uganda.[citation needed]
South Sudan entered its first major international tournament in 2014, taking part in the2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. As one of the four lowest ranked national teams in Africa, it entered in the preliminary stage and was scheduled to play againstEritrea, who withdrew, thus qualifying South Sudan for the first qualifying round.[16][17] There, they playedMozambique over two legs, losing 5–0 at theEstádio do Zimpeto inMaputo, but hosting a goalless draw in the second leg which was held at theKhartoum Stadium in Sudan due to theSouth Sudanese Civil War.[citation needed]
On 5 September 2015, South Sudan achieved their first official victory, a 1–0 home win against Equatorial Guinea in2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. One month later South Sudan played their first ever match in FIFA World Cup Qualification, a 1–1 draw at home toMauritania. South Sudan would lose both return matches 4–0.[citation needed]
During2019 AFCON qualifying the Bright Stars achieved their record win, defeatingDjibouti 6–0 in Juba, however they lost all seven of their other matches meaning they remained among the lowest ranked teams in Africa.[citation needed]
In October 2019, in the2021 AFCON preliminary round, South Sudan won an away game for the first time, beatingSeychelles 1–0 inVictoria to secure a 3–1 aggregate victory. This sees the Bright Stars advance to the qualifying group stage for the third consecutive edition.[citation needed]
South Sudan were invited by FIFA to take part in2021 FIFA Arab Cup as the only non-Arab League nation. However, they forfeited the qualifiers after several players tested positive onCOVID-19.[18]
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
| 19 November2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | South Africa | 3–0 | Cape Town, South Africa | |
| 14:00 UTC+2 |
| Report | Stadium:Cape Town Stadium Referee: Adalbert Diouf (Senegal) |
| 21 March2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | DR Congo | 1–0 | Kinshasa, DR Congo | |
| 17:00 UTC+1 |
| Report | Stadium:Stade des Martyrs Referee: Celso Alvação (Mozambique) |
| 25 March2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | Sudan | 1–1 | Benghazi, Libya | |
| 21:00 UTC+2 |
| Report (FIFA) Report (CAF) |
| Stadium:Benina Martyrs Stadium |
| 28 MayFriendly | Eritrea | Cancelled | Asmara, Eritrea | |
| Stadium:Cicero Stadium |
| 5 September2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | South Sudan | 1–4 | Juba, South Sudan | |
| 2026-02-13 17:39 UTC |
| Report | Stadium:Juba Stadium Referee: Brighton Chimene (Zimbabwe) |
| 9 September2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | Mauritania | 0–0 | Nouadhibou, Mauritania | |
| 19:00 UTC+0 | Report | Stadium:Nouadhibou Municipal Stadium Referee: Mehrez Malki (Tunisia) |
| 10 October2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | South Sudan | 0–5 | Juba, South Sudan | |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium:Juba Stadium Referee: Abdou Abdel Mefire (Cameroon) |
| 13 October2026 FIFA WC Qualifier | South Sudan | 0–0 | Juba, South Sudan | |
| 14:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium:Juba Stadium Referee: Lamin Jammeh (Gambia) |
| 25 November2025 FIFA Arab Cup qualification | Syria | 2–0 | Doha, Qatar | |
| 19:00 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium:Grand Hamad Stadium Attendance: 7,294 Referee:Amin Omar (Egypt) |
| 25-31 March2027 AFCON Qualifier | Djibouti | v | TBD | |
| Stadium:TBD |
| 25-31 March2027 AFCON Qualifier | South Sudan | v | TBD | |
| Stadium:TBD |

The following players were called up for the2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group B matches againstDR Congo andSudan on 21 and 25 March 2025.[19]
Caps and goals correct as of 25 March 2025, after the match againstSudan.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GK | Majak Mawith | (1999-09-18)18 September 1999 (age 26) | 23 | 0 | ||
| 1GK | Godwill Yugusuk | (1999-11-28)28 November 1999 (age 26) | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2DF | Rashid Toha | (1997-10-09)9 October 1997 (age 28) | 22 | 1 | ||
| 2DF | Athir Thomas | (1987-02-14)14 February 1987 (age 38) | 17 | 1 | ||
| 2DF | Samuel Taban | (2002-10-29)29 October 2002 (age 23) | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2DF | David Omot Sebit | (1998-10-28)28 October 1998 (age 27) | 12 | 1 | ||
| 2DF | Paul Puk Pal | (2000-02-12)12 February 2000 (age 26) | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2DF | Rashid Okocha | (1993-12-10)10 December 1993 (age 32) | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2DF | Bichiok | (2007-08-25)25 August 2007 (age 18) | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Ivan Wani | (1998-12-12)12 December 1998 (age 27) | 24 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Joseph Malish Manase | (2002-07-27)27 July 2002 (age 23) | 17 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | William Gama | (2002-12-14)14 December 2002 (age 23) | 15 | 1 | ||
| 3MF | Peter Chan | (2002-11-28)28 November 2002 (age 23) | 2 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Pap Chol | (2002-11-30)30 November 2002 (age 23) | 2 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Mario Albano | (2006-04-23)23 April 2006 (age 19) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Nelson Victor Elia | (2002-09-30)30 September 2002 (age 23) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Nhiak Agany | {{{age}}} | 0 | 0 | ||
| 3MF | Simon Kuoto'o | (2000-03-29)29 March 2000 (age 25) | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4FW | Tito Okello | (1996-01-07)7 January 1996 (age 30) | 24 | 6 | ||
| 4FW | Paul Jawa | (2004-07-15)15 July 2004 (age 21) | 11 | 0 | ||
| 4FW | Yohanna Paulino | (1999-10-06)6 October 1999 (age 26) | 6 | 1 | ||
| 4FW | Lazarus Laku | (2008-05-29)29 May 2008 (age 17) | 1 | 0 | ||
| 4FW | Angufi Mudasiri | (2007-11-28)28 November 2007 (age 18) | 1 | 0 | ||
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Juma Genaro | (1986-02-28)28 February 1986 (age 39) | 34 | 0 | v. | |
| GK | Dario Konyang | (2004-06-26)26 June 2004 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | Unknown | v. |
| GK | Madut Nyuol | (2003-01-29)29 January 2003 (age 23) | 0 | 0 | Unknown | v. |
| GK | Nicolas Madeng | (1998-01-07)7 January 1998 (age 28) | 0 | 0 | Unknown | v. |
| DF | Atendele Geriga | (1995-05-05)5 May 1995 (age 30) | 17 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Rehan Angier | (2002-01-01)1 January 2002 (age 24) | 8 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Benjamin Laku | (2006-06-27)27 June 2006 (age 19) | 4 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Emmanuel Maku | (2006-10-20)20 October 2006 (age 19) | 1 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | David Djamas | (2004-04-21)21 April 2004 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Oman Mobil | (2003-12-02)2 December 2003 (age 22) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Loki Emmanuel | (2001-11-14)14 November 2001 (age 24) | 20 | 1 | v. | |
| DF | Peter Maker | (1994-01-01)1 January 1994 (age 32) | 33 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Peter Chol | (1994-10-23)23 October 1994 (age 31) | 41 | 4 | v. | |
| MF | Gaddafi Wahab | (1995-12-11)11 December 1995 (age 30) | 6 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Mandela Malish | (1999-10-10)10 October 1999 (age 26) | 4 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Omar Luate | (2001-10-10)10 October 2001 (age 24) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Charles Ouma | (1999-06-02)2 June 1999 (age 26) | 3 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Joseph Dhata | (2002-09-05)5 September 2002 (age 23) | 12 | 1 | v. | |
| MF | Nevello Yoseke | (1996-03-17)17 March 1996 (age 29) | 5 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Jackson Morgan | (1998-08-18)18 August 1998 (age 27) | 18 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Manyumow Achol | (2000-12-10)10 December 2000 (age 25) | 12 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Valentino Yuel | (1994-10-12)12 October 1994 (age 31) | 21 | 3 | v. | |
| FW | Data Elly | (1999-05-02)2 May 1999 (age 26) | 10 | 1 | v. | |
| FW | Ebon Malish | (2004-03-23)23 March 2004 (age 21) | 2 | 2 | v. | |
| FW | Ronald Innocent | (2002-03-28)28 March 2002 (age 23) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Emmanuel Jowang | (2002-08-29)29 August 2002 (age 23) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Tito Lukciir | (2004-10-22)22 October 2004 (age 21) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Tot Maet | Unknown | 0 | 0 | Unknown | v. |
| FW | Ayom Majok | (2003-01-01)1 January 2003 (age 23) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Patrick Oleyo | (2005-08-05)5 August 2005 (age 20) | 0 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | David Majak Chan | (2000-10-10)10 October 2000 (age 25) | 11 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Alfred Leku | (1997-09-16)16 September 1997 (age 28) | 3 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Ajak Riak | (2000-12-12)12 December 2000 (age 25) | 10 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Madit Mayor | (2001-02-02)2 February 2001 (age 25) | 1 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Francis Onekalit Odong | (1996-08-18)18 August 1996 (age 29) | 3 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Machop Chol | (1998-11-14)14 November 1998 (age 27) | 6 | 0 | v. | |
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Chol | 46 | 4 | 2015–present |
| 2 | Juma Genaro | 38 | 0 | 2012–present |
| 3 | Peter Maker | 33 | 0 | 2018–present |
| 4 | Dominic Abui Pretino | 30 | 4 | 2013–2021 |
| Athir Thomas[a] | 30 | 1 | 2012–present | |
| Ivan Wani | 30 | 0 | 2020–present | |
| 7 | Leon Uso Khamis | 29 | 3 | 2012–2022 |
| Tito Okello | 29 | 6 | 2020–present | |
| 9 | Majak Mawith | 25 | 0 | 2019–present |
| Rashid Toha | 25 | 1 | 2021–present |
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Moga[b] | 6 | 18 | 0.33 | 2012–2017 |
| Tito Okello | 6 | 29 | 0.21 | 2020–present | |
| 3 | Ebon Ezibon | 5 | 6 | 0.83 | 2024–present |
| 4 | Joseph Kuch Nyuar | 4 | 8 | 0.5 | 2017–2019 |
| Dominic Abui Pretino | 4 | 30 | 0.13 | 2013–2021 | |
| Peter Chol | 4 | 46 | 0.09 | 2015–present | |
| 7 | Sebit Bruno | 3 | 10 | 0.3 | 2015–2016 |
| Atak Lual | 3 | 13 | 0.23 | 2014–2018 | |
| Valentino Yuel | 3 | 24 | 0.13 | 2022–present | |
| Leon Uso Khamis | 3 | 29 | 0.1 | 2012–2022 |
Notes:
| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
| 1930 to1938 | Part of | Part of | ||||||||||||||
| 1950 to2010 | Part of | Part of | ||||||||||||||
| Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 19 | |||||||||||
| To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/2 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 26 | |||||||||
| Africa Cup of Nations record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
| Part of | Part of | |||||||||||||||
| Did not enter | Did not enter | |||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 15 | |||||||||||
| 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 20 | |||||||||||
| 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 7 | |||||||||||
| 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | |||||||||||
| 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 13 | |||||||||||
| To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 9 | 3 | 28 | 33 | 75 | |||
| African Nations Championship record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 0 | ||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| Part of | ||||||||
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Total | – | 0/8 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| CECAFA Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances: 4 | ||||||||
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| Part of | ||||||||
| Did not enter | ||||||||
| Group stage | 11th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | |
| Group stage | 10th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | |
| Quarter-finals | 6th | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Group stage | 9th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |
| Did not enter | ||||||||
| Total | Quarter-finals | 4/40 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 22 |
| FIFA Arab Cup record | Qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
| Part of | Part of | |||||||||||||||
| Not invited | Not invited | |||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | 0[note 1] | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||||
| Did not qualify | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Total | 0/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | |||
^1The2009 edition was cancelled during qualification.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | WPCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0.00 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 0.00 | |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 50.00 | |
| 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 80.00 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0.00 | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 25.00 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0.00 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0.00 | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 0.00 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0.00 | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 20.00 | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 18 | −17 | 0.00 | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 33.33 | |
| 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0.00 | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0.00 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | −9 | 0.00 | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 100.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0.00 | |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 20 | −14 | 12.50 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 0.00 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 0.00 | |
| Total | 76 | 12 | 12 | 52 | 50 | 147 | −97 | 15.79 |
The following South Sudanese international footballers have also played forSudan national football team before the country's independence: