Kigali Rwanda - South Sudan’s U15 boys begin their CAF African Schools Football Championship CECAFA qualifiers campaign today, with Uganda standing between the Junior Bright Stars and a winning start in Rwanda.
Coach John Garang’s side face Uganda at 12:00 noon at the FERWAFA Complex Stadium, where they will look to lay down an early marker in Group B.
There will be little time to recover, however, with South Sudan returning to action tomorrow morning against Somalia at 8:00am before closing their group campaign against Burundi at 12:00 noon.
The three group-stage results will determine the Junior Bright Stars’ route into the semi-finals.
A first-place finish in Group B would earn South Sudan a semi-final against the Group A runners-up at 1:00pm tomorrow, while a second-place finish would send them up against the Group A winners at 2:00pm.
Both semi-finals will be played at the FERWAFA Complex Stadium.
For South Sudan, reaching the final would mean a return to the Kigali Pele Stadium on 5 September, where the championship decider is scheduled for 12:00 noon.
If they fall at the semi-final stage, the Junior Bright Stars will have one final opportunity to claim a podium finish in the third-place play-off at 10:00am on 5 September.
With three Group B matches compressed into less than 24 hours, John Garang’s boys face a demanding test of quality, consistency and squad depth.
First up is Uganda. The Junior Bright Stars know a positive opening result could provide the platform for a push towards the semi-finals.
The journey starts at midday in Kigali.
