Sudan's under-17 women's national football team made their country's first appearance in international women's soccer in years, competing in Olympic qualifying matches at Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, Morocco — a milestone after civil war devastated the country's sports infrastructure in 2023. The inexperienced squad, made up largely of schoolgirls some of whom had fled the ongoing conflict, suffered heavy defeats against Comoros, conceding 30 goals across two matches, yet federation officials framed the appearance as a vital step in keeping women's football alive in Sudan (a northeast African nation gripped by what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis). The team faces not only the challenge of rebuilding from near-scratch — with players separated from families, lacking league experience, and sometimes missing identity documents — but also deep-rooted cultural opposition, including religious condemnation and online abuse, that has long made women's participation in sport controversial in the country.