Refurbished stadium in South Sudan awaits Bafana

The stadium that South Africa will play in when they meet South Sudan on Tuesday has only recently been refurbished and reopened but in a matter of months seen plenty of action.

South Sudan were forced to host ‘home’ matches in the last Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at neutral venues while the stadium was being fixed but it was re-opened in June in time for a much anticipated derby in World Cup qualification.

South Sudan, however, were on the wrong side of a 3-0 beating by Sudan spoiling the home festivities.

Sudan, which h South Sudan broke away from in 2011, have since returned to Juba and used it as their home ground for their opening 2025 Cup of Nations qualifier against Niger last Wednesday.

Sudanese clubs Al Hilal and Al Merreikh, who are now coached by former Kaizer Chiefs boss Gianni Solinas, also used Juba as their home ground for their opening round matches in the African Champions League last month.

The renovation of the Juba stadium was largely paid for by funds from Fifa’s Forward programme which offers financial assistance to member associations.

Rebuilding started in 2019, taking five years to complete, with a new surface, upgraded seating capacity, improved lighting and state of the art facilities ensuring it meets the ever stringent requirements of the Confederation of African Football.