- Sudan have won the Africa Cup of Nations
- They finished third at the CHAN in 2011 when they hosted it
- They have missed the last three editions
Sudan make a return to the African Nations Championship (CHAN) after missing the last edition in Cameroon and they will be keen to do better than their pair of third place finishes in the 2011 and 2018.
The 1970 Africa Cup of Nations winners qualified for the seventh edition of the tournament from the CECAFA Zone after thrashing Djibouti 7-3 on aggregate and will be keen to make a huge imprint when they land in Algeria.
Sudan have been drawn in a tough Group C and will take on Morocco, Madagascar and Ghana, and will play their matches at the Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium in Constantine.
The experienced Bruhan Tia was appointed as coach last year, just before the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, taking over from Hubert Velud. At the AFCON, his first assignment with the Falcons Of Jeddiane,ended up with a haul of one point from a 0-0 draw with Guinea Bissau.
He lost the other two to finish third in Group D.
One of the most experienced coaches
Tia is one of the most experienced coaches in Sudan, having started his career way back in 1995., his first assignment being with AL Mourada. He went on to coach the likes of Al Ahli, Al-Merreikh Al-Thagher, Hay Al-Arab, Alamal Atbara, Kadougli-based club Al-Hilal, Al-Merreikh Al-Fasher, Al-Hilal Al-Fasher, Al Neel, Al-Merrikh and Al-Tuti.
The two biggest clubs, Al Merrikh and Al Hilal are expected to make up the most of the squad for the team in Algeria, It is expected to be a similar squad from their AFCON team, with most of the first team players plying their trade locally.
Mohamed Abdelrahman, one of the longest serving players in the squad, will be one of the players to watch out for Sudan. The skipper, who plays his club football with giants Al Hilal is expected to lead the forward line for the Sudanese in Algeria.
He has had a good start to the season and has two goals in four Champions League matches for Hilal.
Another player to watch for Sudan will be Walieldin Khedr. The midfielder also plays his club football with Hilal and with more than 30 caps for the national team, his composure in midfield will be a key factor for Sudan in Algeria.
Qualified for the tournament twice before
Sudan have qualified for the tournament twice before, in the second edition in 2011 and in the 2018 edition staged in Morocco. On both occasions, they finished third.
In 2011 when they hosted the tournament, they finished top of Group A with seven points, beating Gabon and Uganda and drew with Algeria. They beat Niger 4-3 on penalties in the quarters after a 1-1 draw in regulation time, before losing 4-2 on penalties to Angola in the semis.
They earned bronze after beating Algeria 1-0 in the play-off, a repeat of their group stage meeting.
In 2018, they finished second in their group, with seven points again. This time, they drew with hosts Morocco and beat Guinea and Mauritania.
They then beat Zambia 1-0 in the quarter finals, but lost by a solitary goal to Nigeria in the semis. They earned bronze after beating Libya 4-2 on penalties in the play-off.
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