Uganda national football team

The Uganda national football team (nicknamed The Cranes), represents Uganda in men's international football and is controlled by the Federation of Uganda Football Associations, which is a part of CAF. Their best finish in the Africa Cup of Nations was second in 1978.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Uganda women's national football team.
Uganda
Nickname(s)The Cranes
AssociationFederation of Uganda Football Associations
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationCECAFA (East & Central Africa)
Head coachMilutin Sredojević
Most capsGodfrey Walusimbi (105)
Top scorerEmmanuel Okwi (26)
Home stadiumMandela National Stadium
FIFA codeUGA
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 86 2 (31 March 2022)[1]
Highest62 (January 2016)
Lowest152 (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
Appearances7 (first in 1962)
Best resultRunners-up, 1978

History

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

Uganda returned to the Africa Cup of Nations in 1974, where they were eliminated in the first round following two defeats against Egypt and Zambia and a draw against Ivory Coast. They were also eliminated in the first round in the 1976 edition, being defeated by Ethiopia, Egypt and Guinea.

In the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations, Uganda 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) but in the final Uganda were defeated by Ghana (2–0).

In 2017 Uganda qualified for the African Cup of Nations again after 39 years. They finished the tournament in the first round after two 1–0 losses to Ghana and Egypt and a 1–1 draw against Mali.

In the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, Uganda easily progressed to the second round with a 4–0 aggregate win against Togo, however they were drawn into a tough group with Egypt, Ghana and the Republic of Congo. Uganda finished the group with two 0–0 draws against Ghana, a win and a draw against the Republic of Congo and a historic victory against Egypt followed by a narrow defeat at the home of the Pharaohs. However, the 9 points won were not enough for the Ugandans to qualify against the 13 of the Egyptians who finished first in the standings.

In the qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Uganda continued its good results cruising through qualifiers against Tanzania, Cape Verde and Lesotho. In the competition proper, a 2–0 victory against DR Congo meant that Uganda had won their first match in the competition for forty-one years. In the other two 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, only to be eliminated in the round of 16 by Senegal (1–0).

Results and fixtures

  Win   Draw   Loss

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2021
18 January 2020 CHAN Rwanda  0–0  Uganda Douala, Cameroon
22:00 UTC±0 Stadium: Stade de la Réunification
Referee: Beida Dahane (Mauritania)
22 January 2020 CHAN Uganda  1–2  Togo Douala, Cameroon
22:00 UTC±0 Stadium: Stade de la Réunification
Referee: Georges Gatogato (Burundi)
26 January 2020 CHAN Uganda  2–5  Morocco Douala, Cameroon
22:00 UTC±0
  • Orit 25'
  • Kyeyune 84'
Stadium: Stade de la Réunification
Referee: Boubou Traore (Mali)
24 March 2021 AFCONQ Uganda  0–0  Burkina Faso Entebbe, Uganda
16:00 UTC+3 Report Stadium: St. Mary's Stadium-Kitende
Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)
29 March 2021 AFCONQ Malawi  1–0  Uganda Lilongwe, Malawi
15:00 UTC+2
Report Stadium: Bingu National Stadium
Referee: Celso Alvação (Mozambique)
10 June Friendly South Africa  3–2  Uganda Johannesburg, South Africa
18:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Orlando Stadium
Referee: Audrick Nkole (Zambia)
23 August Friendly Syria  v  Uganda Jordan
Source
26 August Friendly Syria  v  Uganda Jordan
Source
29 August Friendly Ethiopia  2–1  Uganda Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Source
2 September 2022 World Cup qualification Kenya  0–0  Uganda Nairobi, Kenya
Stadium: Nyayo National Stadium
6 September 2022 World Cup qualification Uganda  0–0  Mali Uganda
7 October 2022 World Cup qualification Rwanda  0–1  Uganda Kigali, Rwanda
18:00 UTC+2 Report Bayo 41' Stadium: Nyamirambo Regional Stadium
Referee: Joshua Bondo (Botswana)
10 October 2022 World Cup qualification Uganda  1–0  Rwanda Entebbe, Uganda
 Report Stadium: St. Mary's Stadium-Kitende
Referee: Haythem Guirat (Tunisia)
11 November 2022 World Cup qualification Uganda  1–1  Kenya Entebbe, Uganda
16:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: St. Mary's Stadium-Kitende
Referee: Souleiman Ahmed Djama (Djibouti)
14 November 2022 World Cup qualification Mali  1–0  Uganda Agadir, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1
Report Stadium: Stade Adrar
Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia)
9 December Friendly Tanzania  0–2  Uganda
Report
  • Asaba 71'
  • Vuni 90+1'

2022
12 January Friendly Iceland  1–1  Uganda Belek, Turkey
17:00 UTC+3 Jón Daði 5' Report Kaddu 31' (pen.) Stadium: Titanic Deluxe Belek Football Center
18 January Friendly Moldova  2–3  Uganda Belek, Turkey
Mandrîcenco 10'
Plătică 13'		 Kaddu 34' (pen.), 74' (pen.)
Karisa 64'
21 January Friendly Iraq  1–0  Uganda Baghdad, Iraq
18:00 (UTC+3) Abbas 17' Report Stadium: Al-Madina Stadium
27 January Friendly Bahrain  3–1  Uganda Manama, Bahrain
25 March Navruz Cup Uganda  1–1
(5–4 p)		  Tajikistan Namangan
16:30 UTC+6
Report
Referee: R. Lutfullin
Penalties
29 March Navruz Cup Uzbekistan  4–2  Uganda Namangan, Uzbekistan
16:00 UTC+6
Report
Stadium: Markaziy Stadium
Referee: Sayyodjon Nasriddinov (Tajikistan)

Coaching staff
PositionStaff
Head Coach Milutin Sredojević
Assistant Coach Moses Basena
Goalkeeper Coach Fred Kajoba
Physiotherapist Ivan Ssewanyana
Senior Sport Scientist Joshua Smith
Sport Scientist Felix Ayobo
Team Manager Geofrey Massa

Coaching history
Interim coaches are listed in italics.[2][3][4]

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the international friendlies in March 2022.[5]

Caps and goals are correct as of 29 March 2022, after the match against Uzbekistan.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Charles Lukwago (1992-11-24) 24 November 1992 21 0 Saint George
1GK Benjamin Ochan (1989-09-18) 18 September 1989 18 0 KCCA
1GK Nafian Alionzi (1996-03-02) 2 March 1996 1 0 URA
2DF Halid Lwaliwa (1996-08-22) 22 August 1996 20 1 Vipers
2DF Bevis Mugabi (1995-05-01) 1 May 1995 13 0 Motherwell
2DF Aziz Kayondo (2002-10-06) 6 October 2002 11 0 Vipers
2DF Herbert Achai (1999-08-28) 28 August 1999 2 0 KCCA
2DF Livingstone Mulondo (1996-10-15) 15 October 1996 2 0 KCCA
2DF James Begisa (2002-09-27) 27 September 2002 0 0 UPDF
2DF Hassan Jurua (2000-10-15) 15 October 2000 0 0 KCCA
3MF Khalid Aucho (1993-08-08) 8 August 1993 59 2 Young Africans
3MF Moses Waiswa (1997-04-20) 20 April 1997 23 1 SuperSport United
3MF Bobosi Byaruhanga (2001-12-03) 3 December 2001 11 0 Vipers
3MF Steven Sserwadda (2002-08-28) 28 August 2002 2 0 New York Red Bulls II
3MF Marvin Youngman 2 0 Bright Stars
4FW Emmanuel Okwi (1992-12-25) 25 December 1992 88 28 Al-Ittihad
4FW Farouk Miya (1997-11-26) 26 November 1997 71 23 Lviv
4FW Milton Karisa (1995-07-27) 27 July 1995 35 4 Vipers
4FW Allan Kyambadde (1996-01-15) 15 January 1996 25 1 El Gouna
4FW Allan Okello (2000-06-04) 4 June 2000 19 3 Paradou
4FW Martin Kizza (1997-10-10) 10 October 1997 16 0 Express
4FW Fahad Bayo (1998-05-10) 10 May 1998 17 7 Bnei Sakhnin
4FW Rogers Mato (1998-10-28) 28 October 1998 6 0 KCCA
4FW Derrick Kakooza (2002-10-23) 23 October 2002 2 0 Valmiera

Recent call-ups

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

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Ismail Watenga (1995-05-15) 15 May 1995 26 0 Chippa United vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
GK Joel Mutakubwa (1994-07-17) 17 July 1994 2 0 Express vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
GK Jack Komakech (2002-07-31) 31 July 2002 0 0 Vipers vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
GK Mathias Kigonya (1996-02-02) 2 February 1996 5 0 Forest Rangers vs.  Mali, 14 November 2021
DF Enock Walusimbi (1998-11-12) 12 November 1998 9 0 Express vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
DF Gavin Kizito (2002-01-14) 14 January 2002 5 0 Villa vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
DF Innocent Wafula (1996-04-01) 1 April 1996 3 0 KCCA vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
DF Eric Ssenjobe (1999-04-04) 4 April 1999 1 0 Police FC vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
DF Kenneth Semakula (2002-11-14) 14 November 2002 0 0 SC Villa vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
DF Denis Iguma (1994-02-10) 10 February 1994 70 1 KCCA vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
DF Ibrahim Juma (1993-10-01) 1 October 1993 12 3 KCCA vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
DF John Revita (1992-09-29) 29 September 1992 12 0 KCCA vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
DF Najib Fesali (1999-07-07) 7 July 1999 2 0 URA vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
DF Geriga Atendele (1995-05-05) 5 May 1995 0 0 Arua Hill vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
DF Joseph Bright Vuni 0 0 Arua Hill vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
DF Benjamin Nyakojjo 0 0 URA vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
DF Isaac Muleme (1992-10-10) 10 October 1992 44 0 Viktoria Žižkov vs.  Mali, 14 November 2021
DF Geoffrey Wasswa (1996-08-23) 23 August 1996 0 0 SC Villa vs.  Mali, 14 November 2021
DF Timothy Awany SUS (1996-08-06) 6 August 1996 38 0 Ashdod vs.  Kenya, 11 November 2021
DF Mustafa Kizza (1999-10-03) 3 October 1999 16 4 CF Montréal vs.  Rwanda, 10 October 2021
DF Paul Willa (1999-09-04) 4 September 1999 14 0 Vipers vs.  Rwanda, 7 October 2021 PRE
DF Joseph Ochaya (1993-12-14) 14 December 1993 57 2 Mazembe vs.  Mali, 6 September 2021
DF Murushid Juuko (1994-04-14) 14 April 1994 43 1 Express vs.  Mali, 6 September 2021
DF Paul Mbowa (1997-11-11) 11 November 1997 4 0 URA vs.  South Africa, 10 June 2021
MF Bright Anukani (2000-06-26) 26 June 2000 14 3 Vipers vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
MF George Kasonko (1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 5 0 Bul vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
MF Ashraf Mugume (1998-11-16) 16 November 1998 4 0 KCCA vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
MF Saidi Kyeyune (1993-01-01) 1 January 1993 20 3 URA vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
MF Shafiq Kagimu (1998-05-28) 28 May 1998 19 0 URA vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
MF Mahad Kakooza (1998-06-12) 12 June 1998 0 0 Express vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
MF Julius Poloto (1999-09-09) 9 September 1999 1 0 KCCA vs.  Mali, 14 November 2021A
MF Taddeo Lwanga (1994-05-21) 21 May 1994 22 1 Simba vs.  Rwanda, 10 October 2021
MF Isma Mugulusi (2003-10-10) 10 October 2003 1 0 Villa vs.  South Africa, 10 June 2021
FW Yunus Sentamu (1994-08-13) 13 August 1994 30 5 Vipers vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
FW Patrick Kaddu (1995-10-09) 9 October 1995 21 9 Unattached vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
FW Muhammad Shaban (1998-01-11) 11 January 1998 18 0 Onduparaka vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
FW Steven Mukwala (1999-07-15) 15 July 1999 11 0 URA vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
FW Ibrahim Orit (1998-07-28) 28 July 1998 9 2 Vipers vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
FW Travis Mutyaba (2005-08-07) 7 August 2005 3 0 Villa vs.  Bahrain; 27 January 2022
FW Alfred Leku (1997-09-15) 15 September 1997 1 0 Arua Hill vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
FW Cromwell Rwothomio (2000-02-08) 8 February 2000 1 0 URA vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
FW Sadat Anaku (2000-12-09) 9 December 2000 0 0 KCCA vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
FW Musa Esenu 0 0 Bul vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
FW Amos Kirya 0 0 Gaddafi vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
FW Titus Sematimba 0 0 Wakiso Giants vs.  Iceland; 12 January 2022 PRE
FW Derrick Nsibambi (1994-06-19) 19 June 1994 25 7 Sidama Coffee vs.  Mali, 6 September 2021
FW Lumala Abdu (1997-07-21) 21 July 1997 10 1 Pyramids vs.  South Africa, 10 June 2021

DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up.
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
PRE Preliminary squad.
RET Player has retired from international football.
SUS Suspended from the national team.
WD Player withdrew from the squad.

Player records
As of 29 March 2022
Players in bold are still active with Uganda.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 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 To be determined
Total–0/22–––––– 48 17 12 19 45 49

Head-to-head record

Completely updated and corrected per the cited source on 4 July 2017 [6]

Achievements
CECAFA Cup :

References
  1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  2. 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.
  3. "Rise and fall of Uganda Cranes tacticians". Soccer256 online. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  4. "Johnny McKinstry unveiled as Uganda Cranes coach". www.newvision.co.ug. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  5. "Uganda Cranes Depart For 2022 Navruz Cup In Uzbekistan". FUFA.
  6. FIFA.com. "FIFA Tournaments - Compare Teams - FIFA.com". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2007. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
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