Sudan head coach James Kwesi Appiah has described the road to qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as challenging, but a rewarding accomplishment.
Appiah, who assumed the role of Sudan national team coach in September 2023, guided the team to a successful qualification for the tournament, which will be hosted in Morocco. Under his leadership, Sudan secured their place in the competition by finishing second in Group F with 8 points, narrowly edging Niger, who finished third with 7 points. Meanwhile, Ghana, Appiah’s former team, struggled and finished at the bottom of the group with just 3 points, missing out on qualification.
“We were in a tough group during the AFCON qualifiers,” Appiah said. “Football has evolved, and you can’t underrate any team. Every match was challenging, but we managed to overcome the obstacles. In a nutshell, the qualifiers were difficult.”
Appiah, who led Ghana to two AFCON finals during his tenure as Black Stars coach, will now be focused on leading Sudan to success in the upcoming AFCON tournament in Morocco next year.
Sudan, which has a storied history in the tournament, won the AFCON in 1970 when they hosted the competition. However, their recent performances in the competition have been underwhelming.
