Kampala, Uganda | Uganda Cranes Head Coach Paul Put has named 28 players for Uganda’s upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against South Africa and Congo.
At least 20 of the 28 players summoned are foreign-based players many of whom have been part of the Cranes setup for the last three years. These include three goalkeepers: Isma Watenga, Nafian Alionzi, and Charles Lukwago. The defenders include Elvis Bwomono, Isaac Muleme, Joseph Ochaya, Elio Capradossi, Aziz Kayondo, Bevis Mugabi, Halid Lwaliwa, Timothy Awany, and Kenneth Ssemakula.
In midfield, the team will rely on the talents of Khalid Aucho, Bobosi Byaruhanga, and Travis Mutyaba while the forward line will feature Joachim Ojera, Rogers Mato, Steven Mukwala, Shaban Muhammad, and Calvin Kabuye.
Among the local-based players, reigning league champions SC Villa, Uganda Cup winners Kitara FC, and KCCA FC have each contributed two players, while Vipers SC and URA FC have one representative each.
The local contingent includes Ronald Ssekiganda and Arnold Adong from SC Villa, Joel Sserunjoji and Said Mayanja from KCCA FC, Jude Ssemugabi and Denis Omedi from Kitara FC, and James Begisa and Allan Okello from URA and Vipers SC, respectively.
Uganda Cranes are placed in Group K of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers, alongside South Africa, Congo Brazzaville, and South Sudan. They will kick off their campaign against South Africa in Johannesburg on September 6th, followed by a home match against Congo at Namboole Stadium three days later.
Uganda Cranes will be making a third straight attempt to qualify for the continental showpiece where they last participated in 2019, back in Egypt under French gaffer Sebastien Desabre.
Last year, the Uganda Cranes narrowly missed out on qualification for the second consecutive time, when they finished third in their group, just one point behind Tanzania, who qualified as group runners-up as Algeria topped the group with 16 points.
In that qualification window, Uganda’s AFCON journey was a rollercoaster, starting with a significant loss to Algeria in 2022 and ending with a crucial victory against Niger.
The Cranes will now be hoping to make amends following a second successive disappointment last year. According to the tournament format, the top two teams from each group will qualify for the final tournament, which will take place in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
On paper, Uganda Cranes looks to be in a relatively favorable group compared to previous campaigns. Only South Africa, who missed the 2021 AFCON, was part of the last edition of the tournament and it is against this background that Coach Put recently described the group as manageable for the Cranes.
In this group, only South Africa was at the previous AFCON, and they too, were returning after missing out on the 2021, a scenario that perhaps supports Coach Put’s recent description of the group as a fair one for Cranes.
The last time Uganda shared an AFCON qualifying group with South Sudan was during the 2021 qualifiers. On that occasion, the teams split the six points, with Uganda winning the home fixture and South Sudan claiming victory in the return leg, contributing to Uganda’s failure to qualify. Reflecting on this, Put recently remarked, “No team is small in Africa.”
Congo Brazzaville also lost out on the last AFCON by three points to The Gambia, who qualified as group runners-up with 10 points, but they did manage to win two games and tie one in qualifying.
Speaking to the media after releasing the squad, Put said that there are many players that the team has missed because they are injured; these include Moses Opondo, Isaac Ssewankambo, and Allan Kyambadde among others.
Meanwhile, unlike the previous qualifying edition, where Uganda Cranes faced significant challenges due to the lack of home advantage and were forced to play away from home, they will play at the Mandela National Stadium in Namboole this time.
Several analysts have argued that the home advantage played a crucial role in the Cranes’ previous qualification campaigns. During the recent qualifiers, Uganda Cranes had only one opportunity to host their home game in Uganda, facing Niger at St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende before it was also blacklisted by CAF, forcing the Cranes to seek refuge in Egypt and Cameroon.
— With files from URN
