Monday, October 12, 2026 • Sudan's juniors lose dramatically in the CECAFA opener: the Sudan under-17 team fell to South Sudan 3-2 today, Monday, at the Kigali Pelé Stadium in the Rwandan capital, in the first round of Group One of the CECAFA qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations; the young "Falcons of Jediane" led 2-1 in the first half, but the South Sudanese turned the tables with two goals in the second half, making a win necessary in the final match against hosts Rwanda on Wednesday, October 14, to keep their qualification hopes alive (Source: Mashawir, October 12, 2026) • Al Merrikh lose two of their stars before the Horoya showdown: Nicolas Randria and Mika Grikas were injured during the closing friendly against Kahrabaa Ismailia at the team's camp in Egypt; the medical unit set up an intensive treatment programme to prepare them before facing Guinea's Horoya Conakry in the first leg of the CAF Champions League second preliminary round on Sunday, October 18, in Guinea, with the decisive return match to be held on Saturday, October 24, at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali (Source: winwin website, October 12, 2026) • The National Teams Committee approves replacement and renewal of the "Falcons of Jediane" blood: the National Teams Committee approved renewing the first team's blood by 30% as part of a technical plan aimed at strengthening the ranks with new elements while preserving the experienced elements, and holding a gathering for Sudanese professional players in European and foreign leagues to expand the selection base, chaired by Dr. Osama Atta Al-Mannan and in the presence of Ghanaian coach Kwesi Appiah (Source: Al Safwa newspaper) • The federation under fire for failing to exploit the international breaks: the Sudanese Football Association failed to invest in three international break periods during 2026 by holding friendly matches for the first team, which deprived the "Falcons of Jediane" of double gains in the international ranking and in preparing substitutes, reducing the chances of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals to complex calculations (Source: winwin website, October 3, 2026)
— Sports Desk