Another tournament gone to waste as Uganda Cranes miss out on AFCON Qualification

September 7, 2023

The Uganda Cranes have failed to make it out of the groupstages of the qualifiers of the 2023 AFCON tournament that will take place in Ivory Coast next year.

Despite winning 2-0 against last placed Niger, it wasn’t enough. First half goals frok Azizi Kayondo and Joseph Ochaya were enough to secure victory for Micho’s side.

However, their qualification depended on other factors beyond their control. The Cranes hoped that their East African neighbors, Tanzania would get beaten by Algeria.

Coming into this game, Algeria had 15 points as they had won every game. They were followed by the Taifa Stars with 7 points while Uganda Cranes had 4 and Niger 2.

The Desert Warriors however couldn’t get past Tanzania. This meant that although Uganda did all they could, they wouldn’t be progressing to the final tournament.

The nation last appeared in the top continental football showpiece in 2019 in Egypt. They went ahead to miss out on the 2021 edition.

The Cranes will be back in action in November as they play Guinea in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.