| Full name | Al-Merrikh Sporting Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | Al-Zaeem الزعيم (The Chief) The Red Devils Al-Ahmar Al-Wahhaj (The Glowing Red) | |||
| Founded | 1908 (1908) as Al-Maslamah 1927 (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 | |||
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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.
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
- 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.
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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
References
- ^ https://archive.today/20130805122747/http://mobile.nation.co.ke/Sports/Southern-Sudan-enjoys-sports-potential------------------/-/1294/1090366/-/format/xhtml/item/0/-/apcaiuz/-/index.html
- ^ "تأسيس نادي المريخ (Foundation of the club)". Al-Merrikh Official website. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 23 May 2015. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
