The Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) has confirmed granting permission to three clubs from Sudan to feature in their local league.
Al Merrikh SC, Al Hilal SC and El Ahli SC Wad Medani are the three teams that have been incorporated into the 2025/26 Rwanda Premier League season.
“The Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) is pleased to inform the public, Stakeholders and the wider football community that three of Sudan’s most prominent football clubs have officially been granted approval by FERWAFA and Rwanda Premier League board to participate in the 2025/26 Rwanda Premier League Championship,” reads a statement from FERWAFA.
The decision is pending CAF’s approval and further information regarding revised fixtures will be communicated in due course. The season had already gotten underway with four matchdays played so far.
Sudan has been undergoing a civil war that began on 15 April 2023 between two rival factions of the military government of Sudan.
The conflict involves the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, who also leads the broader Janjaweed coalition.
With such instability, football was heavily involved, thus forcing the League to be abandoned. Since then, some football clubs have sought refuge in other countries to keep afloat and playing.
Last year, Sudanese rivals Al Hilal and Al Merrikh — who have between them won 49 of the previous 53 league titles featured in Mauritanian Premier League, in North West Africa.