Uganda national football team
Nickname(s) | The Cranes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Association | Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) | |||
Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||
Sub-confederation | CECAFA (East & Central Africa) | |||
Head coach | Paul Put | |||
Captain | Khalid Aucho | |||
Most caps | Godfrey Walusimbi (105) | |||
Top scorer | Emmanuel Okwi (28) | |||
Home stadium | Mandela National Stadium | |||
FIFA code | UGA | |||
| ||||
FIFA ranking | ||||
Current | 88 1 (28 November 2024)[1] | |||
Highest | 62 (January 2016) | |||
Lowest | 152 (July 2002) | |||
First international | ||||
Kenya 1–1 Uganda (Nairobi, Kenya; 1 May 1926) | ||||
Biggest win | ||||
Uganda 13–1 Kenya (Uganda; unknown date 1932) | ||||
Biggest defeat | ||||
Egypt 6–0 Uganda (Alexandria, Egypt; 30 July 1995) Tunisia 6–0 Uganda (Tunis, Tunisia; 28 February 1999) | ||||
Africa Cup of Nations | ||||
Appearances | 8 (first in 1962) | |||
Best result | Runners-up (1978) | |||
African Nations Championship | ||||
Appearances | 6 (first in 2011) | |||
Best result | Group stage (2011, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022) | |||
COSAFA Cup | ||||
Appearances | 1 (first in 2019) | |||
Best result | Quarter-finals (2019) | |||
CECAFA Cup | ||||
Appearances | 81 (first in 1926) | |||
Best result | Champions (1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019) | |||
Website | fufa.co.ug |
The Uganda national football team also known as The Uganda Cranes represents Uganda in association football and is controlled by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations.
History
[edit]It made its debut on 1 May 1926 against Kenya drawing 1–1. It qualified for its debut in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1962, the third edition of the tournament, which included only 4 teams. In the semi-finals, it was defeated and eliminated by United Arab Republic (2–1), and then lost the third place match against Tunisia (3–0).
It returned to the Africa Cup of Nations in 1974, where it was eliminated in the first round following 2 defeats against Egypt and Zambia and a draw against Ivory Coast. It was eliminated in the first round in the 1976 edition, being defeated by Ethiopia, Egypt and Guinea.
In the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations, it finished second in the group stages defeating Congo (3–1) and Morocco (3–0) and lost 3–1 to Tunisia. In the semi-finals it eliminated Nigeria (2–1) and in the final was defeated by Ghana (2–0).
In 2017 it qualified for the African Cup of Nations again after 39 years. It finished the tournament in the first round after two consecutive 1–0 losses to Ghana and Egypt and a 1–1 draw against Mali.
In the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, it progressed to the second round with a 4–0 aggregate win against Togo, and was drawn into a group with Egypt, Ghana and the Republic of Congo. It finished the group with 2 0–0 draws against Ghana, a win and a draw against the Republic of Congo and a victory against Egypt followed by a defeat at the home of the Pharaohs. The 9 points won were not enough for it to qualify against the 13 of the Egyptians who finished first in the standings.
In the qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, it cruised through qualifiers against Tanzania, Cape Verde and Lesotho. In the competition proper, a 2–0 victory against DR Congo meant that it had won its first match in the competition for 41 years. In the other 2 games of the group Uganda obtained a draw against Zimbabwe (1–1) and a defeat against the hosts Egypt (2–0) qualifying in second place, to be eliminated in the round of 16 by Senegal (1–0). They qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after South Sudan beat Congo 3-2 on November 14, 2024.
Results and fixtures
[edit]The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
2024
[edit]19 January Friendly | Kuwait | 0–2 | Uganda | Cairo, Egypt |
17:00 UTC+1 | Report | Ssekiganda 10' Kitata 85' |
Stadium: Cairo International Stadium |
22 March Friendly | Comoros | 4–0 | Uganda | Marrakech, Morocco |
21:00 UTC±0 | Report | Stadium: Stade de Marrakech |
26 March Friendly | Uganda | 2–2 | Ghana | Marrakech, Morocco |
16:00 UTC±0 | Report | Stadium: Stade de Marrakech Referee: Bouchra Kaboubi (Morocco) |
7 June 2026 World Cup qualification | Uganda | 1–0 | Botswana | Kampala, Uganda |
19:00 UTC+3 |
|
Report | Stadium: Mandela National Stadium Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Clement Franklin Kpan (Ivory Coast) |
10 June 2026 World Cup qualification | Uganda | 1–2 | Algeria | Kampala, Uganda |
19:00 UTC+3 |
|
Report | Stadium: Mandela National Stadium Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Adissa Abdul Raphiou Ligali (Benin) |
6 September AFCON qualification | South Africa | 2–2 | Uganda | Johannesburg, South Africa |
18:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium: Orlando Stadium Referee: Pierre Atcho (Gabon) |
9 September AFCON qualification | Uganda | 2–0 | Congo | Kampala, Uganda |
19:00 UTC+3 | Report | Stadium: Mandela National Stadium Referee: Mehrez Malki (Tunisia) |
11 October AFCON qualification | Uganda | 1–0 | South Sudan | Kampala, Uganda |
19:00 UTC+3 |
|
Report | Stadium: Mandela National Stadium Referee: Kalilou Ibrahim Traoré (Ivory Coast) |
15 October AFCON qualification | South Sudan | 1–2 | Uganda | Juba, South Sudan |
15:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report | Stadium: Juba Stadium Referee: Ahmed Al Ghandour (Egypt) |
15 November AFCON qualification | Uganda | 0–2 | South Africa | Kampala, Uganda |
15:00 UTC+3 | Report |
|
Stadium: Mandela National Stadium Referee: Alhadi Allaou Mahamat (Chad) |
19 November AFCON qualification | Congo | 0–1 | Uganda | Brazzaville, Congo |
13:00 UTC+1 | Report |
|
Stadium: Stade Alphonse Massemba-Débat Referee: Mohamed Maarouf Eid Mansour (Egypt) |
Coaching staff
[edit]Position | Staff |
---|---|
Head coach | Paul Put |
Assistant coach | Sam Ssimbwa |
Performance manager | Sven De Wilde |
Goalkeeper coach | Gery Osste |
Physical coach | Mathieu Denis |
Team Doctor | Arnaud Depraetere |
Physiotherapist & Fitness coach | Arthur Naudts |
Video analyst | Jelle Sevenhant |
Coaching history
[edit]- Alan Rogers (1965–1966)
- Robert Kiberu (19??–1969)
- Burkhard Pape (1969–1972)
- David Otti (1973–1974)
- Otto Westerhoff (1974–1975)
- Peter Okee (1976–1981)
- Jaberi Bidandi Ssali (1982)
- Peter Okee (1983)
- George Mukasa (1984–1985)
- Barnabas Mwesiga (1986–1988)
- Robert Kiberu (1988–1989)
- Polly Ouma (1989–1995)
- Timothy Ayieko (1995–1996)
- Asuman Lubowa (1996–1999)
- Paul Hasule (1999)
- Harrison Okagbue (1999–2001)
- Paul Hasule (2001–2003)
- Pedro Pasculli (2003)
- Leo Adraa (2003–2004)
- Mike Mutebi (2004)
- Mohammed Abbas (2004–2006)
- Csaba László (2006–2008)
- Bobby Williamson (2008–2013)
- Milutin Sredojević (2013–2017)
- Moses Basena and Fred Kajoba (2017)
- Sébastien Desabre (2017–2019)
- Abdallah Mubiru (2019)
- Johnny McKinstry (2019–2021)
- Abdallah Mubiru (2021)
- Milutin Sredojević (2021–2023)
- Morley Beyekwaso (2023)
- Paul Put (2023-present)
Players
[edit]Current squad
[edit]The following players were called up for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches against South Africa and Congo on 15 and 19 November 2024.[6]
Caps and goals are correct as of 15 November 2024, after the match against South Africa.
Recent call-ups
[edit]The following players have been called up in the last 12 months.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Tom Ikara | 12 February 1997 | 3 | 0 | BUL | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
GK | Giosue Bellagambi | 8 November 2001 | 1 | 0 | Huddersfield Town | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
GK | Jack Komakech | 31 July 2002 | 1 | 0 | Vipers | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
GK | Hannington Ssebwalunyo | 19 January 1994 | 0 | 0 | Maroons | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
GK | Joel Mutakubwa | 17 July 1994 | 5 | 0 | Gaddafi | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 PRE |
DF | Nicholas Mwere | 13 March 2001 | 1 | 0 | BUL | v. South Sudan; 14 October 2024 |
DF | Elvis Bwomono | 29 November 1998 | 10 | 0 | St Mirren | v. Congo; 9 September 2024 |
DF | Kaka Omony | 23 October 1999 | 2 | 0 | Bright Stars | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
DF | Toby Sibbick | 23 May 1999 | 1 | 0 | Heart of Midlothian | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
DF | Nathan Asiimwe | 29 December 2004 | 0 | 0 | Charlton Athletic | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
DF | Livingstone Mulondo | 15 October 1996 | 7 | 0 | Vipers | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
DF | Rogers Torach | 23 June 2003 | 1 | 0 | Vipers | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
DF | Patrick Bayiga | 15 August 1993 | 0 | 0 | Maroons | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
DF | Rashid Okocha | 10 December 1993 | 0 | 0 | NEC | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
MF | Allan Kyambadde | 15 January 1996 | 25 | 1 | El Dakhleya | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
MF | Ashraf Mugume | 16 November 1998 | 5 | 0 | KCCA | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
MF | Moses Opondo | 28 October 1997 | 3 | 0 | Horsens | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
MF | Bright Anukani | 26 June 2000 | 18 | 3 | Vipers | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
MF | Laban Tibiita | 14 April 1998 | 3 | 0 | URA | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
MF | Hudu Mulikyi | 25 April 1995 | 2 | 0 | URA | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
MF | Allan Oyirwoth | 23 January 2007 | 2 | 0 | MYDA | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
MF | Ramz Kawooya | 27 January 1999 | 1 | 0 | Express | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
FW | Muhammad Shaban | 11 January 1998 | 25 | 2 | KCCA | v. Congo; 9 September 2024 |
FW | Fahad Bayo | 10 May 1998 | 29 | 9 | Vyškov | v. Algeria; 10 June 2024 |
FW | Patrick Kakande | 25 April 2003 | 2 | 0 | Villa | v. Algeria; 10 June 2024 |
FW | Umar Lutalo | 15 December 2003 | 1 | 0 | Villa | v. Algeria; 10 June 2024 |
FW | Milton Karisa | 27 July 1995 | 50 | 6 | Vipers | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
FW | Moses Aliro | 9 February 1996 | 3 | 0 | URA | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
FW | Carl James Mujaguzi | 5 May 2000 | 1 | 0 | Athlone Town | v. Ghana; 26 March 2024 |
FW | Nelson Senkatuka | 10 September 1997 | 13 | 0 | Bright Stars | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
FW | Arafat Usama | 27 September 2002 | 3 | 0 | KCCA | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
FW | Alex Kitata | 9 January 1998 | 1 | 1 | BUL | v. Kuwait; 19 January 2024 |
DEC Refused to join the team after the call-up. |
Player records
[edit]- As of 19 November 2024[7]
- Players in bold are still active with Uganda.
Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Godfrey Walusimbi | 105 | 3 | 2009–2019 |
2 | Emmanuel Okwi | 95 | 28 | 2009–2023 |
3 | Simeon Masaba | 88 | 6 | 2002–2013 |
4 | Tony Mawejje | 86 | 8 | 2003–2018 |
5 | Denis Onyango | 82 | 0 | 2005–2021 |
6 | Hassan Wasswa | 81 | 0 | 2006–2019 |
7 | Farouk Miya | 79 | 23 | 2014–present |
8 | Khalid Aucho | 76 | 2 | 2013–present |
9 | Andrew Mwesigwa | 75 | 7 | 2003–2014 |
10 | Geoffrey Massa | 72 | 22 | 2005–2017 |
Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Emmanuel Okwi | 28 | 95 | 0.29 | 2009–2023 |
2 | Farouk Miya | 23 | 79 | 0.29 | 2014–present |
3 | Geoffrey Massa | 22 | 72 | 0.31 | 2005–2017 |
4 | Majid Musisi | 20 | 29 | 0.69 | 1987–2000 |
5 | Hassan Mubiru | 18 | 63 | 0.29 | 1998–2007 |
6 | David Obua | 16 | 36 | 0.44 | 2003–2011 |
7 | Geoffrey Sserunkuma | 14 | 54 | 0.26 | 2002–2017 |
8 | Brian Umony | 12 | 36 | 0.33 | 2009–2015 |
9 | Jackson Mayanja | 10 | 27 | 0.37 | 1988–1999 |
10 | Patrick Kaddu | 9 | 21 | 0.43 | 2018–2022 |
Fahad Bayo | 9 | 29 | 0.31 | 2018–present | |
Philip Obwiny | 9 | 48 | 0.19 | 1994–2003 |
Competitive record
[edit]FIFA World Cup
[edit]Final | Qualification | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
1930 to 1958 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | ||||||||||||||
1962 to 1974 | Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
1978 | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||
1982 | Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||
1986 | Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
1990 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||
1994 | Withdrew during qualifying | Withdrew during qualifying | ||||||||||||||
1998 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | |||||||||
2002 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | ||||||||||
2006 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 18 | ||||||||||
2010 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | ||||||||||
2014 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | ||||||||||
2018 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 2 | ||||||||||
2022 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||||||||||
2026 | To be determined | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||
2030 | To be determined | |||||||||||||||
2034 | ||||||||||||||||
Total | 52 | 19 | 12 | 21 | 49 | 53 |
Africa Cup of Nations[edit]
African Nations Championship[edit]
African Games[edit]
CECAFA Cup[edit](1973–2023)
Other tournaments[edit]
|
Head-to-head record
[edit]Completely updated and corrected per the cited source on 15 November 2024 [8]
Against | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Algeria | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 19 | −9 |
Angola | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 |
Benin | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 |
Bahrain | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | –2 |
Botswana | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 |
Burkina Faso | 8 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 |
Burundi | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 10 | +15 |
Cameroon | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 11 | −4 |
Central African Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 |
Cape Verde | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
Chad | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
Comoros | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | –2 |
Congo | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 |
DR Congo | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 23 | −13 |
Djibouti | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 3 | +31 |
Ecuador | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
Egypt | 19 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 13 | 36 | −23 |
Eritrea | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 |
Ethiopia | 33 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 47 | 39 | +8 |
Gabon | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 |
Gambia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Ghana | 13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 13 | −3 |
Guinea | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 14 | −3 |
Guinea-Bissau | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
Iceland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Iran | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Iraq | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | –1 |
Ivory Coast | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | –2 |
Kenya | 55 | 19 | 26 | 11 | 62 | 58 | +4 |
Kuwait | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
Lebanon | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
Lesotho | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 |
Liberia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 |
Libya | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
Madagascar | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 6 | +4 |
Malawi | 29 | 12 | 8 | 9 | 33 | 30 | +3 |
Mali | 7 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 10 | −6 |
Mauritania | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 |
Mauritius | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 5 | +8 |
Morocco | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | –1 |
Moldova | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
Namibia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 |
Niger | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 9 | +3 |
Nigeria | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 |
Rwanda | 35 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 43 | 26 | +17 |
São Tomé and Príncipe | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 |
Saudi Arabia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 |
Senegal | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | −4 |
Seychelles | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 |
Somalia | 23 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 69 | 9 | +60 |
South Africa | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 13 | −5 |
South Sudan | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 6 | +14 |
Sudan | 24 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 35 | 20 | +15 |
Tajikistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Tanzania | 60 | 33 | 17 | 10 | 100 | 54 | +46 |
Togo | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 12 | −6 |
Tunisia | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 16 | −15 |
Turkmenistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Uzbekistan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | –2 |
Yemen | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Zambia | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 41 | 51 | -10 |
Zanzibar | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 |
Zimbabwe | 16 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 14 | −3 |
Total | 571 | 234 | 159 | 178 | 767 | 612 | +155 |
Note: Country in italic is not a member of FIFA.
References
[edit]- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Zziwa, Hassan Badru (25 May 2009). "Rise and fall of Cranes coaches". The Observer. Uganda. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ^ "Rise and fall of Uganda Cranes tacticians". Soccer256 online. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ^ "Johnny McKinstry unveiled as Uganda Cranes coach". www.newvision.co.ug. Archived from the original on 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
- ^ "Coach Paul Put summons squad for South Africa, Congo games". Federation of Uganda Football Associations. 6 November 2024.
- ^ "Uganda". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
- ^ FIFA.com. "FIFA Tournaments – Compare Teams – FIFA.com". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ^ "Uganda". 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ "Uganda - Historical results". 29 March 2021. Archived from the original on 2023-07-21. Retrieved 2023-07-21.