The Junior Bright Stars will take on The Eagles of Carthage of Tunisia in the first leg of the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) U-23 today, at Juba Stadium.

South Sudan will travel to Tunis for the second leg on the 24th of this month.

If the junior Bright Stars make it to the next round of the qualifiers, they will face Cameroon on the 5th June this year.

The Bright Stars beat neighbours Uganda 2-1 on aggregate to make it to this round.

The Indomitable Lions had already qualified due to the ban of Sierra Leone, by the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA).

According to a report by BBC on the fifth of October, 2018, the suspension was due to government interference in the running of the country’s football association.

If South Sudan U-23 beat Cameroon, they will join hosts Egypt for their first AFCON tournament in November this year, with the hope of reaching Tokyo 2020 Olympics in Japan.

Coach Simon James and his men have a big task to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games since they will have to finish among the top three teams in Egypt 2019.

Via JM