Uganda Cranes will not take part in next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast after narrowly missing out on qualification on the final match day.
Despite securing their much-needed victory against Niger at the Grande Stade de Marrakech Annex in Morocco, the win was not enough to take the Cranes back to the continental championship.
With four points, and sitting in the third position before the game, the Ugandan team needed more than a win, to qualify for the tournament. But the team’s fate was closely tied to the results of the simultaneous Tanzania vs. Algeria match, which ended in a goalless draw giving Tanzania a spot in AFCON for the first time since 2019.
Uganda Cranes took the lead just 17 minutes into the game when Abdul Aziz Kayondo’s intended cross unexpectedly found the net before Joseph Ochaya further boosted their advantage by converting Milton Karisa’s low shot from inside the box, sending Uganda into halftime with a commanding 2-0 lead.
Uganda finished the qualification campaign in third place with seven points, falling just one point short of the Taifa Stars, who secured their spot as group runners-up with eight points. Algeria topped the group with 16 points while Niger finished last with two points.
This marks Uganda’s second consecutive failed attempt to qualify for the continent’s premier football event since their last appearance in Egypt in 2019, under the guidance of French tactician Sebastien Desabre.
URN.