By Johnson Kanyesige
Uganda’s national football team, the Uganda Cranes, has qualified for the 35th edition of the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025, set to take place in Morocco.
The Cranes clinched their qualification with two matches left to play, including a home game against South Africa scheduled for Friday at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.
The qualification was confirmed after South Sudan defeated Congo 3-2 in Juba on Thursday. This result left Congo, currently third in the group with 4 points, unable to surpass either Uganda or South Africa, who hold 10 and 8 points, respectively.
Before today’s match between South Sudan and Congo, the Cranes, standing at 10 points, needed just one more point to secure their AFCON spot. A draw in their upcoming match against South Africa would have pushed Uganda to 11 points, guaranteeing qualification by making it mathematically impossible for a third team to catch up.
However, with Congo’s loss to South Sudan, Uganda’s qualification is confirmed regardless of future results, as Congo can no longer match Uganda’s 10 points, which currently serves as the minimum qualification threshold for Group K.
For Congo’s part, they had required a victory to keep their slim qualification hopes alive, but a loss left them eliminated from contention.
The Cranes are making their return to the continental tournament since their last appearance in 2019 in Egypt. This will mark Uganda’s eighth AFCON appearance, with previous participations in 1962, 1968, 1974, 1976, 1978, 2017, and 2019. Uganda’s best AFCON performance came in 1978 when they finished as runners-up in Ghana.
Uganda joins other qualified teams, including host nations Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, DR Congo, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and South Africa.
