Uganda national football team

The Uganda national football team also known as The Uganda Cranes represents Uganda in international football and is controlled by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations.

History

The Uganda Cranes made their debut on 1 May 1926 against Kenya drawing 1–1. In 1962, they qualified for their Africa Cup of Nations debut in the third edition of the tournament, which included only 4 teams. In the semi-finals, the Cranes were defeated and eliminated by United Arab Republic (2–1), and then lost the third place match against Tunisia (3–0).

The Cranes returned to the Africa Cup of Nations in 1974, where they were eliminated in the first round following 2 defeats against Egypt and Zambia and a draw against Ivory Coast. In 1976, they were eliminated in the first round, being defeated by Ethiopia, Egypt and Guinea.

In the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations, the Cranes finished second in the group stages defeating Congo (3–1) and Morocco (3–0) and lost 3–1 to Tunisia. In the semi-finals they eliminated Nigeria (2–1), and in the finals they were defeated by Ghana (2–0).

In 2017 the Cranes qualified for the African Cup of Nations again after 39 years. They 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, the Cranes progressed to the second round with a 4–0 aggregate win against Togo, and were drawn into a group with Egypt, Ghana and the Republic of Congo. They 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 Uganda to qualify against the 13 of the Egyptians who finished first in the standings.

In the qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, the Cranes cruised through qualifiers against Tanzania, Cape Verde and Lesotho. In the competition proper, a 2–0 victory against DR Congo meant that the Uganda Cranes had won their 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

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

2025

Coaching staff

Coaching history

Interim coaches are listed in italics.

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group G matches against Mozambique and Guinea on 20 and 25 March 2025.

Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2024, after the match against Congo.

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up in the last 12 months.

Player records

As of 19 November 2024

Players in bold are still active with Uganda.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

Head-to-head record

Completely updated and corrected per the cited source on 25 March 2025

Note: Country in italic is not a member of FIFA.

Source:

Honours

Continental

Africa Cup of Nations
- Runners-up (1): 1978

Regional

CECAFA Cup
- Champions (15): 1973, 1976, 1977, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019
- Runners-up (5): 1974, 1982, 1994, 1995, 2000
- Third-place (7): 1983, 1984, 1987, 1991, 2007, 2010, 2017