South Sudan U23

Third place at the CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup remains the one line of the team's record worth repeating.

The team itself exists because the country does. South Sudan's football association formed in April 2011, and within a year had joined both CAF and FIFA as the 209th member, with the U23 side taking shape in 2012 alongside it. There was no long amateur history to draw players from, no inherited youth setup — the programme had to be built from nothing at the same time as the federation that ran it.

They play as the Bright Stars, out of Juba Stadium, a ground whose capacity has been given as 7,000. John Kuol Chol has captained the side, with Ramadan John Mayik in goal, part of a squad still working toward a first appearance at the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations finals.

One win over Kenya, in one tournament, in 2021 — that is still the whole of what the Bright Stars have to show at this level.