Al Hilal Sports Club (), known as Al Hilal SC or simply Al Hilal, is a Sudanese professional football club based in Omdurman that 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 Sudanese civil war.
History Al Hilal was founded on 13 February 1930 in Omdurman by a group of graduates from the Gordon Memorial College. During the Anglo-Egyptian rule of Sudan, colonial authorities strictly prohibited political gatherings. Consequently, nationalist youths utilized the formation of sports clubs as a legal framework for social organization and community mobilization. The club's first administrative board was headed by Babiker Al-Qabbani.
In its early decades, the club introduced several administrative precedents in Sudanese sports. In 1932, Al Hilal became the first club in the country to charge admission fees for a football match during a friendly against a British military team, using the revenue to develop its facilities.
Historically, Al Hilal has been the most successful team in the Sudan Premier League, accumulating 31 national titles. Following the outbreak of the Sudanese civil war in 2023, domestic football competitions were suspended. To maintain competitive activity, the club received authorization from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to participate in foreign leagues. Al Hilal subsequently joined the Super D1 in Mauritania for the 2024–25 season, winning the championship, and later relocated to compete in the Rwanda Premier League for the 2025–26 season.
Crest, colours and structure The name Hilal translates to "crescent" in Arabic, a motif that is centrally featured on the club's crest alongside a map of Sudan. The official colours are blue and white. The club's motto is "Allah – Al-Watan – Al-Hilal" (God – The Nation – Al-Hilal).
The team plays its home matches at Al-Hilal Stadium in Omdurman, commonly referred to as "The Blue Jewel". The stadium was originally inaugurated in 1965 and underwent a comprehensive renovation in 2018, expanding its capacity to 65,000 spectators. The club's wider infrastructure also includes departments for basketball, boxing, and swimming.
Rivalries Al Hilal's primary traditional rival is Al-Merreikh, also based in Omdurman. The fixture between the two clubs is known as the Omdurman Derby and is the most prominent football rivalry in Sudan, strictly dividing the country's fan base.
In continental competitions, Al Hilal frequently encounters North and Central African teams such as Al Ahly, ES Tunis, and TP Mazembe. Matches against Al Ahly in the CAF Champions League have occasionally resulted in crowd disturbances and diplomatic tension between Egyptian and Sudanese supporters, leading to formal disciplinary interventions and fines applied by CAF.
Captain history
Amin Babeker Muhamed Hussein Sharfi Hasan Mabrouk Abdelaal Hussein Hashem Deifallah Saleh Rajab Yousef Abdelaziz Awad Ahmed Muhamed Talaat Fareed Alnour Balla Abdelkheir Saleh Zaki Saleh Siddiq Manzul Osman Al-Deim (1963–1964) Sabit Dudu (1964–1967) Ebrahim Yahia Al-Kawarti (1967–1970) Amin Zaki (1970–1971) Muhieldin Al-Deim (1971–1974) Nasr El-Din Abbas (1974–1977) Ali Gagarin (1977–1980) Ezzeldin Al-Dehish (1978–1981) Abdallah Musa (1980) Gasem Ahmed Osman (1981) Mustafa Al-Nager (1982–1986) Mustafa Seimawi (1986) Tareg Ahmed Adam (1987–1993) Mansour Tenga (1993–1996) Jamal Al-Thaalab (1996–1997) Akef Ataa (1998) Mustafa Komi (1999) Muhamed Hamdan (2000–2001) Hemed Kamal (2002–2003) Haitham Mustafa (2004–2012) Omer Bakhit (2013–2014) Seif Mesawi (2015–2016) Mudather Karika (2017–2018) Mohamed Ahmed Bashir (2018–2019) Abdellatif Boya (2019–2021) Muhamed Abdelrahman (2022–present)
Players
Out on loan
(on loan) Discoveries SA FC (Until 30 June 2027)
Honours +Al-Hilal SC Honours Type competition titles seasons Domestic (SFA)Sudan League / Sudan Premier League 31 1965, 1966, 1969, 1973, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2023–24, 2024–25Sudan Cup 10 1954, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2021–22, 2024–25Khartoum League 16 1953, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1982, 1984, 1990, 1994
Performance in CAF competitions CAF Champions League 40 Appearances
1966 - Semi-finals 1967 - First round 1970 - Second round 1974 - Second round 1982 - Second round 1984 - First round 1985 - Second round 1987 - Finalist 1988 - Quarter-finals 1990 - Quarter-finals 1992 - Finalist 1995 - First round 1996 - First round 1997 - Second round 1999 - Second round 2000 - First round 2004 - Second round 2005 - First round 2006 - Second round 2007 - Semi-finals
2008 - Group stage 2009 - Semi-finals 2010 - Second round 2011 - Semi-finals 2012 - Second round 2013 - First round 2014 - Group stage 2015 - Semi-finals 2016 - First round 2017 - Group stage 2018 - First round 2018-19 - First round 2019-20 - Group stage 2020-21 - Group stage 2021-22 - Group stage 2022-23 - Group stage 2023-24 - Group stage 2024-25 - Quarter-finals 2025-26 - Quarter-finals 2026-27 -
CAF Confederation Cup 6 Appearances 2004 - Group stage 2006 - Play-off round 2010 - Semi-finals 2012 - Semi-finals 2018 - Group stage 2018-19 - Quarter-finals African Cup Winners' Cup 4 Appearances 1978 - First round 1994 - First round 2001 - First round 2003 - Second round CAF Cup 2 Appearances 1998 - Quarter-finals 2002 - First round
Performance in Arab competitions Arab Champions League 11 Appearances 1993 - Group stage 1995 - Group stage 1996 - Group stage 1999 - Preliminary round 2000 - Group stage 2003-04 - First round 2005-06 - Semi-finals 2007-08 -First round 2008-09 - Second round 2019-20 - First round 2023 - Second round Arab Cup Winners' Cup 2 Appearances 1989 - Semi-finals 2001 - Finalist
Performance in CECAFA competitions CECAFA Clubs Cup 11 Appearances 1985 - Group stage 1987 - Group stage 1988 - 3rd Place 1989 - Group stage 1992 - Group stage 1994 - Semi-finals 1996 - Group stage 1999 - Quarter-finals 2024 - 3rd Place 2025 - Finalist 2026 - 3rd Place
Notes
References
External links Official website