The final first-leg match in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations preliminary round qualifiers will see Sao Tome & Principe face off against South Sudan at Stade Municipal de Berkane in Morocco.
Sao Tome & Principe are ranked 191st according to FIFA Rankings and are the fourth-lowest ranked side in the CAF region, while South Sudan rank 166th in the current world standings.
Match preview
Sao Tome & Principe will be hoping that this is the year that they make their first-ever AFCON main draw, having got through the preliminary rounds in each of the last two qualifiers but bowing out in the group stage qualifiers.
In the previous edition of qualifying, STP faced Mauritius and clinched a 4-3 aggregate win over the two legs but were initially disqualified by CAF for not following COVID protocols for one of their players.
The Sao Tomean Football Federation appealed the decision, and following an initial unsuccessful ruling, they were reinstated by CAF just one week before the group stage qualifiers got underway.
Unfortunately, they ended the qualifiers at the bottom of Group A with one draw and five defeats in their six games, including a 10-0 thumping by Nigeria in their second match of the competition.
Since 2016, Sao Tome & Principe have played a total of 26 games but have only won three in that time, with all three of those victories coming against the same opponent - Mauritius.
Meanwhile, despite being relatively new to international football, South Sudan have shown progress in recent years and are now looking to reach the group stage of AFCON qualifying for a fifth consecutive time.
While they have never got past the qualifiers, the Bright Stars have managed a few notable results over the years, including earning their first-ever away victory, beating Seychelles in 2019, as well as overcoming Congo 2-1 in the 2023 qualifiers.
Since the last AFCON qualifiers, South Sudan have played three games and have maintained a decent record, beating Kenya 1-0 in a friendly last September before losing to Senegal and drawing goalless against Mauritania in their World Cup qualifiers last November.
Ranked 25 places above their opponents in this match and carrying better form, it is fairly unsurprising that the Bright Stars are the favourites heading into this crucial first-leg encounter.
Team News
Sao Tome & Principe will look to their star player Luis Leal to lead the side to victory. The Arsenal Sarandi forward has scored 10 goals in 24 matches for his country, including a brace against Sierra Leone in March last year.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Lucio Oliveira is expected to partner Adjakson Ramos in central defence, with CD Feirense's Pedro Mateus likely to feature between the sticks.
South Sudan, on the other hand, have called-up Western Sydney Wanderers winger Valentino Yuel, who scored on debut against Jordan in January 2022 and netted his second for his country against Gambia in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers.
Having kept a clean sheet in their World Cup qualifier against Mauritania in November, Nicolas Dupuis may opt for an unchanged back four here featuring Joseph Dhata, Rashid Toha, Peter Maker and William Gama.
Sao Tome & Principe possible starting lineup:
Mateus; Fernandes, Oliveira, Ramos, Neves; Da Silva, Varela, Afonso; Cardoso, Viegas, Leal
South Sudan possible starting lineup:
Mawith; Dhata, Toha, Maker, Gama; I. Wani, Yoseke, K. Wani; Yuel, Riak, Akio
We say: Sao Tome & Principe 0-1 South Sudan
Sao Tome & Principe are coming into this match off the back of five consecutive defeats, during which time they failed to score a single goal while conceding 15. South Sudan have made it to the group-stage qualifiers in their last five attempts and are in decent form, having only lost once in their last three matches in all competitions. We feel the Bright Stars will win this match, albeit by a slender margin.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
