South Sudan to play in Arab FIFA World Cup in Qatar

South Sudan will participate in the Arab FIFA World Cup slated for November 2021 in Qatar.

This is after South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) received an invitation from the world governing body FIFA, requesting Bright Stars to participate in the tournament. The event will be a curtain-raiser for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

‘‘Together with the hosts Qatar, FIFA would like to use this opportunity to showcase the best of Arab football while ensuring the highest standards of event delivery and hospitality, as the region gears up to host the biggest event in the world in 2022,’’ a request letter from FIFA reads, as quoted by SSFA.

‘‘The tournament will be played across state-of-the-art stadia, each of which will host matches at the FIFA World Cup twelve months later.’’

It is to not only provide a test-run for the facilities but also a snippet into the media coverage, fanbase and player preparation.

According to SSFA, the tournament will attract 23 teams from Asia and Africa. They include Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan and Tunisia. The Asian ones are Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.