Qualifying Sudan to 2026 World Cup would be life-changing – Kwesi Appiah

Head coach of the Sudan national team, Kwesi Appiah, believes it will be a big breakthrough if he is able to qualify the North African country for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

From the work of Coach Kwesi Appiah, he has been able to breathe life back into the Sudan national team since taking over in 2023.

Despite having no competitive league ongoing in Sudan because the country is currently war-torn, Appiah has been able to turn the tide in their favor.

With only two professional players engaged regularly at the club level, Sudan has managed to pick up three wins and one draw, giving them ten points.

Sudan is, however yet to lose a game in the qualifiers and has two points ahead of Senegal, who sit second in the group with eight points.

Speaking exclusively to FIFA, Kwesi Appiah disclosed that it would be a big achievement to qualify another country for the World Cup, not because of the record, but rather the opportunities it will create for the country and its players.

“Reaching the World Cup would be a great springboard for the development of football in the country. Administratively, it would make things much easier. It could also change the lives of my players.

“Currently, there are only two professionals in the squad. If we were to qualify for a World Cup, they could perform on the biggest stage and then tell themselves that they too were capable of playing in Europe.

“That’s something that would transform their mindset. You cannot imagine how much happiness a World Cup participation would bring to all of Sudan,” the coach stated.

Kwesi Appiah became the first African coach to qualify a team for the World Cup in 2014 with Ghana.

JNA/AE