When Uganda were drawn against South Sudan and South Africa in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification on July 4, you could not help but flash back to the 2021 edition and the Fifa World Cup 2006 qualifiers.
The Cranes landed in Group K, which also includes Congo Brazzaville, in the draw conducted by Morocco legend Marouane Chamakh and Ivory Coast winning coach of Afcon 2023 Emerse Fae in Johannesburg on Thursday.
There are 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two in every pool qualifying for the finals tournament that will for the first time ever be played over the Christmas period and the New Year.
The 2025 Afcon finals will be played from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026, a decision that was controversially agreed upon between hosts Morocco, Caf and Fifa.
South Africa are the top seed in Uganda’s group, and will evoke uncomfortable memories of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers.
Then, on October 10, 2004, a Benni McCarthy penalty subjected Uganda to a 1-0 painful defeat at Namboole to complicate any qualification plans.
Bafana Bafana completed a double over the Cranes with a 2-1 victory five months later.
Neighbours South Sudan, who just became a Fifa member the other day, will also be remembered for all but ending Uganda’s qualification to the 2021 Afcon finals after they beat the Cranes 1-0 in Nairobi.
The Cranes – under interim leadership of Abdallah Mubiru – later lost to Malawi to confirm their absence from the finals.
Thereafter, Fufa officially sacked a supposedly suspended Johnny McKinstry as Cranes coach, and Denis Onyango retired after months of reflection.
The above forgettable memories against Uganda’s Group K opponents notwithstanding, Cranes current coach Paul Put is confident his boys will navigate the group.
“I think it’s a fair group,” said Put, “there are no easy games but I think it’s (the group) playable but of course you can not estimate anything.”
Regarding preparations, Put will have to wait for Caf to release fixtures to know exactly what team the Cranes will play in September.
Teams will have to play two qualification matches every month starting this September to November. Uganda last played at Afcon finals in Egypt five years ago.
Afcon 2025 Qualifying Groups
Group A: Tunisia, Madagascar, Comoros, Gambia
Group B: Morocco, Gabon,Central Africa Republic, Lesotho
Group C: Egypt, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Botswana
Group D: Nigeria, Benin Libya, Rwanda
Group E: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Liberia
Group F: Ghana, Angola, Sudan, Niger
Group G: Cote d’Ivoire, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Chad
Group H: DR Congo, Guinea, Tanzania, Ethiopia
Group I: Mali, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Eswatini
Group J: Cameroon, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe
Group K: South Africa, Uganda, Congo, South Sudan
Group L: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Burundi
***Matches to be played in September, October and November this year, and the finals tournament held in Morocco from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026***
Uganda’s last qualifying encounters against Group K opponents
Fifa World Cup qualifiers 2026
March 26, 2005: South Africa 2-1 Uganda
October 10, 2004: Uganda 0-1 South Africa
November 16, 2020: South Sudan 1-0 Uganda
November 12, 2020: Uganda 1-0 South Sudan
Fifa World Cup qualifiers 2018
November 12, 2017: Congo 1-1 Uganda
November 12, 2016: Uganda 1-0 Congo
Source link : https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/sports/soccer/afcon-opponents-echo-forgettable-memories–4679806
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Publish date : 2024-07-05 05:00:00
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