Heat and an artificial surface in Juba can make life difficult for Bafana

Bafana Bafana need a win away against South Sudan on Tuesday to get back into contention in their Africa Cup of Nations Group K, but the mistake they would make would be to think the matchup against the 169th-ranked minnows will be easy. 

Hugo Broos' team will need to keep their wits about them amid some levelling conditions at Juba National Stadium, not least a tricky artificial surface and mid-30s heat in the central/east African country. 

TimesLIVE takes a deep dive into the venue and the opponents Bafana will face for the first time on Tuesday:

Juba and South Sudan (the country) 

The capital of South Sudan has a population of about half a million. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011. 

Contrary to what might be the perception, the country is not arid and desert-like, like Sudan. South Sudan is south of the outskirts of the Sahara and inside central Africa's tropical belt, so largely consists of forest, swamps and grassland. But Juba, in the south of the country and 540km north of the equator, is hot.

Temperatures have hovered at about 34°C this week and it seems no coincidence the hosts have set the game for 3pm. They will know the sluggish tempo to play at. Bafana, who like a quick-passing, high-tempo game, will have to come up with a strategy for the heat. 

Juba National Stadium 

The 10,000-seat ground fell victim to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) and Fifa's crackdown on standards and South Sudan played matches in Sudan and Kenya for almost two years. 

A new artificial surface was laid and after a Fifa inspection in October 2022 the ground was certified in January 2023. More reconstruction has followed, though, funded to the tune of R90m by Fifa. South Sudan played the inaugural match back at the stadium in June, losing a World Cup qualifier 3-0 against Sudan.

The small crowd in the all-seater ground might not unsettle Bafana much, but the artificial surface is likely to further slow the action and the bounce can be awkward for players used to playing on grass. 

South Sudan (the team) 

After independence, South Sudan was officially admitted as a Caf member in 2012. 

Their players are tall, physical and play direct football, which will suit the heat and surface. Bafana are almost certain to to be streets ahead technically and in skill, but Broos has already indicated the conditions, like in a 2-0 away qualifying win against Liberia in 2023 that saw the South Africans through to the 2023 Nations Cup, might mean the players have to resort to a strong defence and a more route one approach. 

South Sudan have never qualified for a Nations Cup. 

South Sudan's star players

Valentino Yuel is a 29-year-old winger who plays for FC Nasaf in Uzbekistan. 

Tito Okello is a well-travelled 28-year-old forward who has turned out for clubs in Uganda, Tanzania, Macau, Kenya, Iran and now PSM Makassar in Indonesia. 

Jackson Morgan is a 26-year-old central midfielder who has played for a number of clubs in Australia, including his present semi-professional team Bentleigh Greens. 

South Sudan's results 

The Bright Stars have won one game in their last 10, a 1-0 friendly upset of neighbours Kenya in Nairobi in September last year. 

Other results in that period included a 3-0 friendly defeat away to Egypt, a 4-0 2023 Nations Cup qualifying defeat away to Mali, a 4-0 away World Cup qualifying defeat to Senegal, and a 0-0 home World Cup draw against Mauritania. These were followed by 2025 Nations Cup draws away (1-1) and at home (0-0) to São Tomé e Príncipe, a 1-1 away World Cup draw against Togo, a 3-0 World Cup home defeat against Sudan and 1-0 Nations Cup opening Group K defeat away to Congo. 

South Sudan's coach 

Nicolas Dupuis is a 56-year-old Frenchman best known for taking on the Madagascar job in trying conditions for seven years and steering them to their first Nations Cup finals in Egypt in 2019, where they topped their group and reached the quarterfinals. He is trying to do the same for South Sudan. 

Dupuis first coached AS Yzeure and FC Fleury 91 in the French fourth and third divisions. He coached Madagascar in a first stint from April 2016 to April 2021, and a second stint in April 2022 to March 2023. 

The Barea drew against Guinea, then had wins against Burundi and a 2-0 shock of Nigeria to top Group B at the 2019 Afcon, progressing past Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the second round and losing 3-0 to Tunisia in the quarters. 

He took charge of South Sudan in October 2023 and has not won a game in seven but did enjoy a success negotiating past São Tomé on away goals in a Nations Cup preliminary round to reach the group stage. Another recent promising result was the World Cup qualifying draw away in Togo. 

The context 

The other levelling factor in this match is Bafana started with a 2-2 draw at home against Uganda on Friday. It is not a train smash, yet, but the South Africa know if they do not win in Juba the pressure will be on in Group K. 

South Sudan will know that too. They will be out to spoil and the longer Bafana cannot score, desperation and mistakes can creep in. Bafana have come through a few such pressure games in recent years, especially under Broos. They need to again on Tuesday.