Egypt Beat South Sudan 5–0 in Juba as Bright Stars Suffer Second AFCON 2027 Qualifying Defeat

JUBA, South Sudan — September 30, 2026

South Sudan’s Bright Stars suffered a 5–0 defeat to Egypt at Juba National Stadium on Tuesday, leaving the national team without a point after its opening two matches in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Egypt took the lead in the 36th minute through Mostafa Ziko and went into halftime 1–0 ahead. The Pharaohs increased the pressure after the break, with Omar Marmoush scoring in the 49th minute before substitute Ibrahim Adel made it 3–0 in the 75th minute. Marmoush added his second goal in the 83rd minute, while Hamza Abdelkarim completed the scoring in stoppage time. CAF's official match report confirms the 5–0 result and the five scorers.

The result was South Sudan's second defeat in Group B of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers. The Bright Stars opened their campaign with a 2–1 loss away to Malawi, meaning they remain without a point after two matches. Egypt moved to four points after previously drawing 0–0 with Angola.

Egypt played the match without captain Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian Football Association had announced before the fixture that Salah would not travel to Juba because of concerns about playing on the artificial surface.

For Egypt, Marmoush was central to the victory with his two second-half goals, while Abdelkarim's late strike was his first goal for Egypt's senior national team.

For South Sudan football, the heavy home defeat increases the challenge facing the Bright Stars as they seek their first points of the qualifying campaign. The team is attempting to reach the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time.