Uganda open their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign away to Tunisia on 24 September, against a side they have never beaten in seven attempts. They then host Libya five days later. Paul Put's squad carry no qualification pressure as Uganda have their place at the tournament already, as co-hosts. What these six matches decide is which players Put trusts when the tournament arrives on home soil next June.
Uganda Cranes AFCON 2027 — Group H Table, Standings and What's at Stake
| Team | Status |
|---|---|
| Uganda | Qualified automatically as AFCON 2027 co-host |
| Tunisia | Competing for the group's single qualifying place |
| Libya | Competing for the group's single qualifying place |
| Botswana | Competing for the group's single qualifying place |
The draw in Cairo on 19 May handed Uganda two North African opponents in Tunisia and Libya, plus Botswana. Every team plays six matches, home and away against each opponent.
The qualification rule is where Group H becomes unusual. In nine of the twelve groups, the top two go through, but Groups D, H and L work differently: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania already have their places at the tournament as co-hosts, so in each of those groups only the highest-placed team among the other three qualifies, regardless of where the host finishes.
That makes Group H a three-way contest for one place, with Uganda playing the role of obstacle rather than contender. Tunisia are heavy favourites for it — the 2025 edition in Morocco was their 22nd AFCON appearance and 17th in succession, the longest unbroken run of any nation.
Uganda Cranes AFCON Fixtures 2027 — Dates, Opponents and Schedule
| Matchday | Date | Fixture | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Sep 2026 | Tunisia v Uganda | Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi, Radès |
| 2 | 29 Sep 2026 | Uganda v Libya | Hoima City Stadium |
| 3 | 11 Nov 2026 | Uganda v Botswana | To be confirmed |
| 4 | Nov 2026 | Botswana v Uganda | To be confirmed |
| 5 | 24 Mar 2027 | Uganda v Tunisia | To be confirmed |
| 6 | Mar 2027 | Libya v Uganda | To be confirmed |
CAF has confirmed the opponents for all six matchdays but not the venues for four of the six matches, and not the dates for the two away legs against Botswana and Libya.
The Libya match matters beyond the result. It will be Uganda's first senior international at Hoima City Stadium, one of the venues built for AFCON 2027. Put's squad also face DR Congo in friendlies on 2 and 5 October, both in Johannesburg, closing a 16-day window that runs from 21 September to 6 October.
Uganda Cranes FC Squad for AFCON — Players Today Under Paul Put
Put named 28 players: three goalkeepers, ten defenders, five midfielders and ten forwards. Jordan Obita and Elio Capradossi will both miss out due to injury. Seven home-based players flew to Tunis on 20 September to begin camp, with the foreign-based contingent travelling directly.
Allan Okello is the squad's most valuable attacker and the busiest man in East African football this year. The attacking midfielder, listed among Put's forwards, won the 2024/25 Uganda Premier League Golden Boot with 19 goals at Vipers, moved to Young Africans in January, scored 14 goals with eight assists in half a season in Tanzania, then signed a three-year deal with AS FAR Rabat on 20 August. He has 35 caps.
Kenneth Semakula matters more than his profile suggests. With only five recognised midfielders named, the Al Ittihad Alexandria man is one of a small group Put is relying on to control matches, alongside Baba Alhassan and Noble Okello. Five midfielders against ten forwards in a 28-man squad points to a coach who intends to sit deep and attack in transition.
Denis Onyango is the story of the selection. The Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper is 41, retired from international football in April 2021, returned in September 2025 after 54 months away, and has now been retained despite not playing club football since February. He has 83 caps and is chasing a home AFCON as a farewell. SC Villa's David Lukwago and NEC's Hannington Ssebwalunyo are the domestic alternatives.
Richard Basangwa is the form pick. The NEC FC forward leads the Uganda Premier League scoring chart with four goals in three appearances, including one in the 2-0 opening-day win away at KCCA.
Uganda Cranes vs Tunisia — Match Preview (24 September)
The record is bleak. Tunisia have won all seven meetings between the countries; CAF put the aggregate across the first six at 16-1, and Tunisia then won 3-1 at AFCON 2025 in December. Their 6-0 win in Tunis in February 1999 remains the joint-heaviest defeat in Uganda's history.
Tunisia arrive in transition. They lost all three group matches at the 2026 World Cup (5-1 to Sweden, 4-0 to Japan and 3-1 to the Netherlands), conceding 12 and scoring twice, and Moïn Chaabani took charge afterwards on a contract running to 2030. This is his first competitive squad. He has recalled two players who missed the World Cup: midfielder Ferjani Sassi, now at Al-Gharafa in Qatar, and veteran left-back Ali Maaloul of CS Sfaxien. Hannibal Mejbri misses out, injured.
Uganda have inside knowledge of two of Tunisia's squad. Forward Travis Mutyaba plays his club football for CS Sfaxien, where both Maaloul and Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen are his teammates.
The Cranes' advantage is that none of this matters to their summer. Put can rotate and lose without consequence — a freedom Tunisia do not have, with only one qualifying place available to the group's three non-hosts.
Prediction: Tunisia to win. A 2-0 home victory looks likeliest, with Uganda's realistic target a tighter scoreline than December's 3-1.
Tunisia vs Uganda Odds — Main Markets
Back your call on the Group H opener in Radès — see the full Tunisia vs Uganda market on 22Bet.
| Selection | Odds |
|---|---|
| Tunisia to Win | 1.28 |
| Draw | 4.29 |
| Uganda to Win | 10.60 |
| Both Teams to Score – Yes | 2.78 |
| Both Teams to Score – No | 1.36 |
| Over 2.5 Goals | 2.22 |
| Under 2.5 Goals | 1.55 |
Odds correct at the time of writing and subject to change. For the latest prices, visit 22Bet.
Uganda Cranes vs Libya — AFCON 2027 Qualifier Prediction (29 September)
The home fixture is where Uganda should take something. Libya sit 110th in the FIFA rankings published on 20 July, to Uganda's 89th, and their AFCON record is thinner than their reputation suggests: three appearances in total. The first, in 1982, ended in a final on home soil; they have qualified only twice since.
Youssoupha Dabo's side is built around captain Moatasem Al-Musrati. Uganda have a direct line into Libyan football through forward Steven Mukwala, who plays for Al Nasr in Benghazi after leaving Simba SC.
Playing at Hoima City Stadium adds something the Cranes have not had before: a new AFCON venue, a first international occasion and a crowd with a home tournament to look forward to.
Prediction: Uganda to win narrowly. A 1-0 home victory is reasonable against a side ranked 21 places below them.
Uganda vs Libya Odds — Main Markets
Every market for the first international at Hoima City Stadium is live now — place your Uganda vs Libya bets on 22Bet.
| Selection | Odds |
|---|---|
| Uganda to Win | 1.82 |
| Draw | 3.19 |
| Libya to Win | 4.04 |
| Both Teams to Score – Yes | 2.18 |
| Both Teams to Score – No | 1.58 |
| Over 2.5 Goals | 2.45 |
| Under 2.5 Goals | 1.46 |
Odds correct at the time of writing and subject to change. For the latest prices, visit 22Bet.
AFCON Uganda Cranes 2027 — The Home Tournament and What Qualifying Means
AFCON 2027 runs from 19 June to 17 July, the first time the tournament has been staged in East Africa since Ethiopia hosted in 1976, with 24 teams across Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Uganda's best finish remains the 1978 final, lost 2-0 to Ghana. They have reached eight AFCONs and gone beyond the group stage only twice — in 1978, and in 2019, when Senegal beat them 1-0 in the round of 16.
That is the context for these six matches. Put has coached at four AFCONs (Burkina Faso in 2013 and 2015, Guinea in 2019 and Uganda in 2025) and has drawn two opening matches and lost two. Qualifying is settled. Credibility is not.
