Sudan's under‑17 women's national soccer team stepped onto the international arena for the first time since the country's civil war erupted in 2023, traveling to Casablanca to contest a match against Comoros.
The squad is made up mostly of schoolgirls who had only begun organized training weeks before the trip, leaving them with limited experience and a steep learning curve. Players such as Nura Mohamed, Burhan Tia, Manal Ali Bushra, Abdulhay Yousif, Liv Tønnessen and Hala Al‑Karib have spoken about the pressures they face both on and off the pitch.
The matches resulted in heavy defeats, underscoring the gulf in preparation, while the players also confronted societal taboos and a barrage of online abuse, including sexist comments that question the place of women in a traditionally male‑dominated sport.
A Symbolic Step Forward
Beyond the pitch, the national federation has announced infrastructure projects aimed at rebuilding facilities and supporting women's programs, even as transportation disruptions and difficulties verifying players' ages persist due to the ongoing conflict.
Observers note that the team's presence is being leveraged politically by the military government, using sport as a narrative of resilience, while the United Nations continues to monitor the humanitarian impact of the war on youth and gender equality.