Sudan have only featured once at the Afcon finals since 2013, and reaching the 2025 edition in Morocco would be all the more remarkable given the ongoing conflict in the country and the fact the side have been forced to hold their home qualifiers at neutral venues.

“It puts us on the brink of a historic qualification,” Sudanese journalist Abdul Musa told the BBC World Service.

“Everybody knows the situation back home, and it just shows that the togetherness, the chemistry within the team.”

Sudan will round off their Group F campaign with an away tie against Niger and a ‘home’ game against Angola next month.

Both matches are set to be at neutral venues as Niger do not have a stadium fit for international football.

“I think every African kid grew up watching the Africa Cup of Nations and wanting to be a part of it,” said former Bradford City and Grimsby Town man Eisa, who now plays in Thailand.

“Now that we’ve come so close to it, we still need to finish the business. But it’ll be a dream come true for me and for a lot of us.”