Uganda schedules friendly fixtures versus Tanzania and Madagascar in June

The news follows Uganda's placement in Group H for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers after the official draw held in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday May 19th.

Uganda will compete against Tunisia, Libya and Botswana in Group H, leading up to the AFCON tournament jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania from June 19th to July 17th. This edition is historic as it marks the first time three nations will co host the event.

Ahmed Hussein, FUFA Corporate Affairs Director, has verified that Uganda will face Tanzania on June 5th and then Madagascar on June 8th in Marrakech, Morocco.

Uganda to evaluate squad

"These matches will allow the technical team to further assess the squad and enhance competitiveness before the AFCON 2027 Qualifiers and upcoming CAF and FIFA tournaments," stated a FUFA release.

"Both games will take place in Marrakech, Morocco, with additional details about kick off times and venues to be announced later.

"The international friendlies are scheduled within the FIFA international window, enabling national teams to gather players for official preparatory matches."

As a host nation, Uganda has already secured automatic qualification for the finals. Consequently, only one more team from Group H will advance to the tournament.

Uganda head coach Paul Put is confident the qualifiers will provide ample preparation time for the AFCON.

"Competing in the qualifiers against teams like Tunisia, who will participate in the FIFA World Cup, Libya and Botswana will be a valuable experience," Put mentioned to Xinhua.

The qualifiers will be conducted on a home and away basis over six matchdays during the FIFA International Windows from September 2026 to March 2027.

Matchdays one and two are set for September 21st to October 6th October, while matchdays three and four will occur from 9th to 17th November 2026. The last two matchdays are slated for 22nd to 30th March 2027.

Uganda's highest AFCON achievement was finishing as runners up in 1978. The Cranes have participated in the tournament seven times in total.

Although they have not progressed past the group stages since the tournament's expansion, they are assured a spot as hosts for the 2027 edition.

In 1978, Uganda recorded their finest performance by reaching the AFCON final in Ghana. They overcame Congo, Morocco, and Nigeria before falling 2 0 to the hosts, Ghana.