CASABLANCA — Sudan's under-17 women's national soccer team competed in qualifying matches for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics at Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco. This tournament marked the team's first international competition since the civil war in Sudan began in 2023.

The team conceded 30 goals over two matches against Comoros. The opening match resulted in a 17-0 loss for Sudan. Burhan Tia, who oversees all of Sudan's women's national soccer teams, said, "The difference between us and the others is huge. We cannot yet compete at the highest level. Comoros has many players competing in Europe, our team is mainly made up of schoolgirls."

The Sudanese soccer federation entered the under-17 squad because officials could not assemble a senior women's team before the qualifying deadline. The under-17 squad began training a few weeks before the tournament. Tia recruited players from schools in Sudan and from Cairo, Egypt; ten players arrived from teams and academies in Cairo, while the remainder were selected from cities within Sudan.

Tia did not recruit players from Darfur or Kordofan due to prospective players lacking identification documents necessary for international age verification. Armed conflict has disrupted transportation routes between Sudanese cities, and the women's soccer league was suspended after fighting began in 2023. The war in Sudan started in 2023 due to a conflict between the national military and the Rapid Support Forces. United Nations records indicate that over 40,000 people have died and more than 14 million have been displaced in Sudan.

Nura Mohamed, the 17-year-old captain of Sudan's under-17 team, said, "My goal is to lift up soccer in my country. It's a beautiful, unique feeling because, at the end of the day, I just love playing." The women's soccer league in Sudan was established after the 2019 revolution that removed President Omar al-Bashir from office. His administration had enforced Public Order Laws that limited women's freedoms. Sudanese preacher Abdulhay Yousif stated that creating a women's football league was intended to undermine religious principles. Liv Tønnessen, a political scientist studying gender politics in Sudan, said, "The idea of women running, jumping, sweating, and even something as simple as their bodies being visible in motion, was seen by Bashir's Islamist regime as producing fitna, which in a Sudanese context was understood as sexual or moral chaos." She added, "So when women step onto a soccer pitch, they are directly confronting that entire logic. They are not just present in a male-dominated sports arena, they are moving freely in it, on their own terms." Online comments on the national team's social media accounts included critical language, with some phrases telling players to return to domestic roles.

The Sudanese soccer federation plans to construct a sports city and renovate stadiums in secure regions of the country. Officials declined to provide details regarding the budget or funding for the women's program.