Al-Hilal and Al-Merreikh face a new selection dilemma after football authorities announced a limit on the number of foreign players who can feature in matches during the 2026-27 season.
The Rwandan Football Federation, working with the Sudanese Football Association, has approved regulations restricting clubs to six foreign professionals in their matches.
The decision could have significant consequences for the two Sudanese giants as they prepare to compete in the African Champions League, while Sudan national team coach Kwesi Appiah is set to benefit from the greater opportunities it could create for locally based players.
Al-Hilal and Al-Merreikh both featured in the previous edition of the competition after making a historic appearance, and their squads are heavily dependent on overseas players.
Both clubs have at least eight foreign professionals on their respective rosters, meaning their coaches will have to make difficult decisions about which players to select when the new campaign begins.
The restriction could be particularly challenging because foreign players represent a significant part of the attacking strength of both sides.
With only six professionals permitted in matches, coaches at Al-Hilal and Al-Merreikh will not be able to field all of their foreign options at the same time. That could force them to make tactical and selection changes as they attempt to prepare their strongest possible squads for continental competition.
The situation could become even more important if either club progresses through the African Champions League preliminary rounds and reaches the group stage.
Local players given greater opportunity
While the regulation presents an immediate problem for the two clubs, it could provide an important opportunity for Sudanese players who have found their playing time reduced by the growing recruitment of foreign professionals.
The requirement to include more local players is expected to give domestic talent a greater chance to compete for places and return to a more prominent role within their clubs.
That development could also have a direct impact on the Sudan national team.
Kwesi Appiah, who coaches Sudan’s national side, is expected to welcome the rule because it should give him access to a larger pool of locally based players who are regularly playing competitive football.
The 66-year-old Ghanaian coach has faced the challenge of selecting players from domestic competitions whose form and match fitness can fluctuate.
The new regulation could therefore provide him with more consistent options when preparing his squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Regular involvement in competitive matches could help local players improve their fitness and readiness, potentially strengthening Appiah’s selection options.
Sudan will also be able to call upon professionals playing in foreign leagues, giving the national team an additional source of experience and quality.
Appiah will be hoping the combination of regularly active domestic players and Sudanese professionals abroad can help his side secure another appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Sudan participated in the Morocco edition earlier this year, and the coach will be targeting a second consecutive appearance at the finals.
Champions League tests arrive quickly
The new rule comes at a crucial time for Al-Hilal and Al-Merreikh, who are preparing for their first preliminary-round matches in the African Champions League.
Both teams are scheduled to begin their campaigns on 5 September.
Al-Hilal will face Burundi’s Eagle Noirs, while Al-Merreikh will meet Zambia’s Power Dynamos in the first preliminary round.
The clubs must therefore adapt quickly to the foreign-player restriction as they attempt to progress in Africa.
Their coaches will have to balance their desire to use their strongest foreign players with the need to comply with the new regulations and provide opportunities for domestic players.
For Al-Hilal and Al-Merreikh, the timing of the decision creates an additional complication before their continental campaigns have even begun.
For Appiah, however, the same regulation could provide a valuable boost.
Sudan’s national team has been placed in Group 10 of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers alongside Senegal, Mozambique and Ethiopia.
The increased involvement of local players could give Appiah a wider selection of match-ready footballers as Sudan begin their attempt to reach the tournament finals for a second successive time.
The contrasting impact of the decision means the new season will begin with very different expectations for Sudan’s leading clubs and their national team.
