In a powerful symbol of resilience, football has made its long-awaited return to Sudan's war-ravaged capital. On Friday, the domestic league finally kicked off its first matches since the devastating conflict erupted in April 2023, bringing the beautiful game back to battered stadiums on the fringes of a largely abandoned Khartoum.
The fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has left much of the capital heavily damaged and largely deserted—even after government forces managed to push their rivals out of the city. But for fans, this was a day to remember the unifying power of sport.
The opening fixture took place at Kober Stadium in Khartoum North, just across the Blue Nile from the city center, while another match kicked off simultaneously in Omdurman on the opposite side of the capital. At Kober, capital club Al Merrikh defeated Ahli Madani 3–1 in front of several hundred supporters who braved intense 42°C heat—and the haunting reminders of war that surrounded the ground.
"We haven't seen our team for three years," said Assim Hussein, an Al Merrikh supporter, smiling as the players walked out. "This is a historic moment for us."
Outside the stadium, burnt-out cars lined nearby streets, and walls leading to the gates were pockmarked with bullet holes and shrapnel. Inside, the stands were dusty and partially unusable, with many fans standing throughout the match. The dugouts were little more than rows of plastic chairs separated from supporters by a wire barrier. Kober Stadium isn't normally used for top-flight matches—Khartoum's main venues remain unfit to host games after the conflict—but that did little to dampen the mood. Fans waved club flags, beat drums, and played wind instruments as chants echoed off the concrete.
Among the crowd was Musab Abdel-Majid, who traveled about 190 kilometers (118 miles) from Wad Madani in Al-Jazirah state to support Ahli Madani. "I came all the way just to see my team play again," he said.
Mustafa al-Amin, an Ahli Madani team official, summed up the deeper meaning of the day: "Sport is always a message of peace." After a war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, that message has never been more powerful.