South Sudan National Football Team: The Bright Stars Story
Africa's youngest national team: from independence in 2011 to CAF and FIFA membership and every match since.
By the SSFA Online team · Updated 2026-10-19
South Sudan became the world's newest country on 9 July 2011, and its national football team, the Bright Stars, followed soon after. This is the story of Africa's youngest national team, told through its results.
From independence to CAF and FIFA
The South Sudan Football Association was admitted to the Confederation of African Football and to FIFA in 2012, allowing the Bright Stars to enter official competitions. Like many new associations, it had to build almost everything at once: a league, referee training, youth teams and stadium facilities, with support from FIFA development programmes.
The Bright Stars in numbers
Our database holds 82 official and friendly matches for South Sudan, starting with a match against Uganda on 10 July 2012 (2–2). The team has recorded 13 wins, 16 draws and 53 defeats, scoring 55 goals. The biggest win on record is 6–0 against Djibouti in 2017.
Latest results
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Sep 2026 | L |  Egypt |
0–5 | AFCON Qualification | H · Juba |
| 25 Sep 2026 | L |  Malawi |
1–2 | AFCON Qualification | A · Lilongwe |
| 29 Mar 2026 | L |  Djibouti |
0–1 | AFCON Qualification | H · Juba |
| 26 Mar 2026 | W | Djibouti |
4–0 | AFCON Qualification | H · Juba |
| 25 Nov 2025 | L |  Syria |
0–2 | Arab Cup Qualification | N · Doha |
| 13 Oct 2025 | D |  Togo |
0–0 | World Cup Qualification | H · Juba |
| 10 Oct 2025 | L |  Senegal |
0–5 | World Cup Qualification | H · Juba |
| 9 Sep 2025 | D |  Mauritania |
0–0 | World Cup Qualification | A · Nouadhibou |
| 5 Sep 2025 | L |  DR Congo |
1–4 | World Cup Qualification | H · Juba |
| 25 Mar 2025 | D |  Sudan |
1–1 | World Cup Qualification | N · Benghazi |
Explore the full South Sudan team page, every result, head-to-head records and South Sudanese players.
Regional football: CECAFA
South Sudan belongs to CECAFA, the East and Central African zone, alongside neighbours such as Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan. Regional matches against these sides make up a large share of the Bright Stars' fixtures, and Uganda is one of their most frequent opponents. See the CECAFA Cup history.
Domestic football
Club football in South Sudan revolves around the national championship and the South Sudan Cup, with clubs from Juba, Wau and other state capitals. Players increasingly move abroad, particularly to Uganda, Kenya and further afield, and a growing diaspora in Australia, the United States and Europe has produced professionals eligible for the Bright Stars.
About this domain: ssfaonline.com was previously used by the South Sudan Football Association. SSFA Online (Soccer Stats For Africa) is an independent statistics site and is not affiliated with the association.