Egypt’s national football team arrived in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, on Sunday ahead of Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against South Sudan.
The Group B match will be played at Juba Stadium, with Egypt seeking their first win of the qualifying campaign after being held to a goalless draw by Angola in Cairo on Friday.
South Sudan also lost their opening match, going down 2-1 to Malawi. Malawi currently lead Group B after the opening round of matches.
Egypt captain Mohamed Salah will miss Tuesday’s match after the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) decided to rest him because the game will be played on an artificial-turf pitch.
The EFA said the decision had been agreed between Salah and the technical staff before the Angola match and was intended to protect the forward from playing on the artificial surface.
The federation said the decision was not related to the result against Angola or Salah’s performance. Salah started the match but was substituted in the second half.
Former South Sudan international James Joseph told Radio Tamazuj in Juba on Sunday that Salah’s absence would not significantly affect Egypt, which have other high-quality players capable of making a difference.
Joseph urged South Sudan’s players not to be distracted by Egyptian media coverage and to remain focused on the match.
He said the game would be difficult for South Sudan given Egypt’s record as seven-time African champions. While the hot weather could be a factor, Joseph said South Sudan could not rely on the conditions alone against an Egyptian side with considerable technical ability.
Joseph said South Sudan had a 50% chance of qualifying and urged the players to use the match as an opportunity to showcase their talent.
Egypt and South Sudan are in Group B alongside Angola and Malawi. The top two teams in the group will qualify for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The match is scheduled for Tuesday, 29 September, at Juba Stadium.
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