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FIFA boss Gianni Infantino is expected in Juba to grace the 2026 World Cup qualifier between Bright Stars and Sudan on June 11, 2024.

Infantino’s scheduled visit was announced by South Sudan’s Football Association’s (SSFA) General Secretary, Victor Lual, who said the FIFA chief will grace the match scheduled to be played at the Juba National Stadium.

”We are happy that the FIFA President will be the chief guest during this inauguration and also watch the match. This stadium has been refurbished with funding from the World Football body,” Lual told CECAFAONLINE.

This will not be the first time Infantino will be in South Sudan, as he was there in 2016 when he came to open the first headquarters of the South Sudan Football Association.

Then, the former UEFA chief met with South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir, and both discussed the development of the sport in the country. The FIFA chief also attended an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between South Sudan and Benin held in the country’s capital city, Juba.

The South Sudan Football Association is the newest member of FIFA after joining in 2012, one year after it gained independence from Sudan.

Group B’s battle

Meanwhile, before facing their northern neighbours, the Bright Stars will be in Togo to face Mauritania in an away qualifier.

In Group B, the Teranga Lions of Senegal are leading with four points after two games, with Sudan second on the same number of points but an inferior goal difference. Bright Stars, with a point from a draw, are at the bottom.

The other teams in the CECAFA Zone battling in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers include’ Djibouti, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, Somalia, and Uganda.

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