Assistant coach of the Sudan national team, Ignatius Osei-Fosu, says qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament is a greater achievement than qualifying for the World Cup.
Osei-Fosu, alongside Kwasi Appiah, steered the Falcons of Jediane to secure a spot in the AFCON tournament scheduled to be hosted in Morocco next year after finishing 2nd in Group F with eight points.
After four games in the World Cup qualifiers, Sudan has accumulated ten points and sits at the top of Group B as they aim to secure a place in the 2026 global showpiece.
Despite this, Osei-Fosu believes that leading Sudan to the 2025 AFCON would still be a greater achievement, even if they manage to secure a first-ever World Cup qualification for the Falcons of Jediane.
“I see qualifying for the AFCON as a greater achievement than securing a World Cup slot,” he told 3Sports.
Osei-Fosu further explained that, although Sudan sit in a strong position in their World Cup qualifying group, failing to qualify would not be seen as a failure, especially given the hope and belief they have restored in the nation.
“It will never be a failure on our part should we fail to qualify for the World Cup. At least we gave them some belief and hope,” he added.
Sudan will take on Senegal and South Sudan in the next round of the World Cup qualifiers in March 2025.
