Al Merrikh SC

For other uses, see Al Merreikh.

Al-Merrikh Sporting Club (Arabic: نادي المريخ الرياضي) is a Sudanese professional football club based in the city of Omdurman. Their home stadium is Al-Merrikh Stadium, which is locally known as The Red Castle. Founded in 1908, Al-Merrikh is one of the oldest football clubs in Africa and competes in the Sudan Premier League. The club currently competes in the Rwanda Premier League, the top-flight of football in Rwanda, due to the ongoing Sudanese civil war.

Al-Merrikh

Full name	Al-Merrikh Sporting Club
Nicknames	Al-Zaeem الزعيم (The Chief) The Red Devils Al-Ahmar Al-Wahhaj (The Glowing Red)
Founded	1908; 117 years ago (1908) as Al-Maslamah 1927; 98 years ago (1927) as Al–Merrikh SC
Ground	Al-Merrikh Stadium Omdurman, Khartoum State, Sudan
Capacity	43,000[1]
President	Mujahed Sahl
Manager	Darko Novic
League	Rwanda Premier League (temporarily)
2022–23	2nd of 18
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Club history

Al-Merrikh was founded under the name of Al-Masalma Sporting Club in 1908 by students from Al-Masalmah district that was headed by their chairman Jek Deng Aban Gorang in Omdurman of Gordon Memorial College. The club renamed as Al-Merrikh Sporting Club on 14 November 1927.^[2]

Rivalries

The club has a fierce rivalry with Al-Hilal with the games between them regularly selling out, as well as being the only other realistic challenger to the league crown. They won the Om-al-Dahab championship in 1965 and are the only team to have ever won this one time event. Al-Hilal is also based in Omdurman with only Al-Ardha Street separating the teams. Between them they are Sudan's most powerful and successful football clubs.^{[citation needed]}

Honours

Domestic

• Sudan League/Sudan Premier League
  • Champions (19): 1970, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2018–19, 2019–20.
• Sudan Cup
  • Winners (19): 1951,1955, 1961, 1962, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018. (Record)
• Khartoum League
  • Champions (17): 1954, 1956, 1962, 1966, 1968, 1972, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997

Continental

The only Club in Sudan to win Continental Cup.

• African Cup Winners' Cup
  • Winners (1): 1989
• CAF Confederation Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2007

CECAFA titles

• CECAFA Clubs Cup
  • Winners (3): 1986, 1994, 2014

Players

As of 19 September 2025

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  SDN Jaras Kafi 2 DF  SDN Alburae Jamal 3 MF  SDN Musa Altayeb 4 DF  SDN Musab Makeen 5 DF  CGO Janard Mbemba 6 MF  SDN Almesbah Faisal 7 MF  SDN Muhamed Alrasheed (3th Captain) 8 MF  SDN Wajdi Handasa 9 FW  SDN Amar Ali 10 FW  GUI Aboubacar Bachir Bangoura 11 FW  GUI Moussa Moise Camara 12 DF  SDN Awad Zayed 13 DF  SDN Ahmed Tabanja 14 MF  SDN Muataz Hashem 15 MF  ZAM Obino Chisala 16 GK  SDN Muhamed Alnour Abouja 17 GK  SDN Ahmed Alfateh 18 MF  SDN Mustafa Salah Naji 19 FW  CIV Muhamed Gabane 20 DF  SDN Abdellatif Adam

No. Pos. Nation Player 21 DF  SDN Amir Kamal (Captain) 22 FW  SDN Musa Kanti 23 MF  SDN Abaker Adam 24 MF  SDN Waheeb Shendi 26 MF  MLI Fady Coulibaly 27 FW  SDN Mujtaba Faisal 28 MF  SDN Tajeldin Yagoub 29 MF  SDN Ramadan Agab (Vice-Captain) 30 MF  NGA Jide Fatokun 31 FW  SDN Mubarak Abdallah 32 FW  SDN Muhamed Tia Asad 33 DF  CHA Dia Wah Mickael 34 DF  MLI Daouda Ba 35 FW  SDN Atef Koko 36 GK  SDN Abdelbaset Awad 37 DF  SEN Daba Sogoba 38 MF  SDN Munzer Abdu 39 DF  SDN Awab Anter 40 GK  BFA Ladji Brahima Sanou - MF  MAD Nicolas Randriamanampisoa

Performance in CAF Competitions

• CAF Champions League 30 Appearances
• 1971 - Second round
• 1973 - Second round
• 1975 - Quarter-finals
• 1978 - Second round
• 1983 - First round
• 1986 - First round
• 1991 - First round
• 1994 - First round
• 1998 - First round
• 2001 - Second round
• 2002 - Second round
• 2003 - First round
• 2009 - Group stage
• 2010 - Second round
• 2011 - First round
• 2012 - Second round
• 2013 - First round
• 2014 - Preliminary round
• 2015 - Semi-finals
• 2016 - Second round
• 2017 - Group stage
• 2018 - Preliminary round
• 2018-19 - Preliminary round
• 2019-20 - Preliminary round
• 2020-21 - Group stage
• 2021-22 - Group stage
• 2022-23 - Group stage
• 2023-24 - Second round
• 2024-25 - Second round
• 2025-26 - First round

• CAF Confederation Cup 8 Appearances
• 2004 - Preliminary round
• 2005 - Second Round
• 2006 - Play-off Round
• 2007 - Runners-up
• 2008 - Group Stage
• 2010 - Play-off round
• 2012 - Semi-finals
• 2016 - Play-off

• African Cup Winners' Cup 11 Appearances
• 1984 - Second round
• 1985 - First round
• 1987 - Second round
• 1989 - Runners-up
• 1990 - Semi-finals
• 1992 - Semi-finals
• 1993 - Quarter-finals
• 1995 - Second round
• 1997 - First round
• 1999 - First round
• 2000 - Second round

Performance in Arab Competitions

• Arab Champions League 12 Appearances
• 1988 - Group stage
• 1994 - Group stage
• 2002 - First round
• 2003-04 - First round
• 2005-06 - First round
• 2006-07 - First round
• 2007-08 - Second round
• 2008-09 - Second round
• 2017 - Group stage
• 2018-19 - Semi-finals
• 2019-20 - First round
• 2023 - First round
• Arab Cup Winners' Cup 3 Appearances
• 1992 - Preliminary round
• 1999 - Preliminary round
• 2000 - Group stage

Performance in CECAFA Competitions

• CECAFA Clubs Cup 8 Appearances
• 1985 - 3rd Place
• 1986 - Champions
• 1987 - Runners-up
• 1988 - Runners-up
• 1994 - Champions
• 2009 - Runners-up
• 2011 - 3rd Place
• 2014 - Champions