Name: Rwandan stadiums, the new refuge of Sudanese football in exile
Uploaded: 2025-12-19T15:37:59.114Z
Duration: 1 min 52 s
Description: Forced into exile by the war tearing its country apart since April 2023, Sudanese football has found an unexpected new home… in Kigali. The country’s two biggest clubs, Al-Hilal and Al-Merrikh, have been invited to join the Rwandan Premier League for the 2025–2026 season.

Forced into exile by the war tearing its country apart since April 2023, Sudanese football has found an unexpected new home… in Kigali. The country’s two biggest clubs, Al-Hilal and Al-Merrikh, have been invited to join the Rwandan Premier League for the 2025–2026 season.

Kigali

Sudan's Al-Hilal football team has been forced to play in exile due to ongoing conflict in Sudan, having not played at home for over two years. After spending last season in Mauritania and a brief period in Tanzania, the team is now competing in Rwanda, thanks to an invitation from the Rwandan Premier League and support from the Rwandan Football Federation.

The presence of Al-Hilal in Rwanda has become a source of pride and unity for Sudanese refugees, with fans gathering at Kigali's Pele Stadium to support their team. Despite the joy of reunion, the ongoing war in Sudan remains a constant concern for players and supporters, with online broadcasts helping connect those still in Sudan to the team's matches.

Rwandan stadiums, the new refuge of Sudanese football in exile

First training session on Kigali's pitches for Sudan's Al-Hilal. It's been over two years since the team last played at home. Since the war began in Sudan, the team's been forced to live in exile. Last year we were in Mauritania, we spent the whole season in a hotel. This year it's the same. We started in Tanzania and now we're in Rwanda, so it's become our daily reality. Players were invited by the Rwandan Premier League for the current season. An initiative backed by the Rwandan Football Federation, rooted in the values of sports. Football unites. There's a problem in Sudan that prevents the league from running normally. It's something that could happen to anyone. So we also need to show humanity. We'll do our best to make them feel at home. And of course, may the best team win. Victory, that's what Al-Hilal is after. The team wants to make the thousands of Sudanese refugees in Rwanda proud. On match night, the Pele Stadium shakes to the rhythm of chants, in Kenya Rwanda and in Arabic. We were very happy to see our team here again. Maybe most of us didn't see his team, most like two years ago. And we came here to support his team. And we are very happy to support our team again. Yet even amid the joy of reunion, the war remains an unshakable presence. I remind the conflict in Sudan and what's happening in Al-Fashir. Our family is there. It is very sad for all of us. The cheers that once echoed to the stadiums of Khartoum, Norizan and Kigali. Thanks to online broadcasts, those voices even reached Sudanese fans, who are still at home.

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