Football

Uganda Cranes kickstart AFCON 2023 Qualifiers away to Algeria

by
Fred Hidula
April 21, 2022

Uganda Cranes kickstart AFCON 2023 Qualifiers away to Algeria. photo/ The independent

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the fixtures and dates for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers. This comes after the draw for the group stage was held on Tuesday in South Africa.

Uganda Cranes is pitted in Group F alongside Algeria, Niger and neighbours Tanzania.

The Uganda Cranes coach Micho will be at the helm of leading the team to the next Afcon finals. photo/ The independent

In the fixtures released, the qualification games will be played between 30th May 2022 and 28th March 2023.

It should be noted that the six group games will be staged in three windows with each team playing two games every window.

Uganda will open its campaign on the road to Algeria before hosting Niger on matchday two. These games will be played between 30th May – and 14th June 2022.

The Cranes will have a doubleheader against rivals Tanzania, with the former hosting the first leg before travelling to Dar es Salaam for Matchday Four.

The two games against Tanzania will be played between 19th -and 27th September 2022.

The final window will come between 20th -28th March 2023 with Uganda hosting Algeria first before facing Niger in Niamey on the final day.

However, there are still concerns about where Uganda will host its games with reports indicating St. Mary’s Stadium, Kitende may not pass the CAF standards to host the qualifiers.

Mandela National Stadium is still under renovation and thus Uganda may be forced to look for another alternative home venue beyond its borders.

Cote D’Ivoire will host the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations between June and July next year.

The 1978 Afcon finalists were the third name out of the drum following West African nation Niger.

It’s the first time since the 2000 qualifiers that Uganda and Algeria will clash.

During that campaign, Uganda won the game at Nakivubo 2-1, Hassan Mubiru scoring a brace but lost 2-0 in the return leg in Algiers.

Tanzania and Uganda faced off in the qualifiers for the 2019 campaign in Egypt with the Taifa Star beating already qualified Cranes 3-0 in Dar es Salaam after drawing goalless at Namboole.

For Niger, the last time Uganda drew the West African nation was in the 2008 qualifiers – a draw in Niamey was followed by a 3-1 victory at Namboole.

The qualifiers start in June with the top two in the group qualifying for the finals due in Ivory Coast next year.

Uganda’s national football team, the Cranes, failed to clinch a place for the AFCON 2021 after a narrow loss to Malawi 1-0 in the final qualifier match played in Blantyre.

Malawi joined Burkina Faso in group B, displacing Uganda. The Uganda Cranes only needed a point in group B but the host was in for maximum points.

The East African country ( Uganda) has been pitted as one of the most improved football teams in Africa in the past few years.

However, Algeria looks the outright favourite to top the group with Tanzania, Uganda and Niger all standing a chance to second place.