Uganda Cranes starting lineup vs Taifa Stars

On May 1, 1926, the Uganda national football team played Kenya and drew 1-1. In 1962, the third year of the competition, they qualified for their debut at the Africa Cup of Nations, which featured just four teams. Uganda lost to the United Arab Emirates (2-1) in the semifinals, and was then defeated by Tunisia (3-0) in the third-place match.

In 1974, Uganda made a comeback to the Africa Cup of Nations, where they were eliminated in the opening round after two losses to Egypt and Zambia and a draw to Ivory Coast. They were defeated by Ethiopia, Egypt, and Guinea in the first round of the 1976 competition as well.

Uganda finished second in its group at the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations, defeating Congo (3-1) and Morocco (3-0) while losing 3-1 to Tunisia. They defeated Nigeria (2-1) in the semifinals, but Ghana defeated Uganda (2-0) in the championship match.

After 39 years, Uganda once again earned a spot in the 2017 African Cup of Nations. They lost 1-0 to Ghana and Egypt twice, drew 1-1 with Mali, and exited the tournament in the first round.

With a 4-0 aggregate victory over Togo in the World Cup qualifiers, Uganda easily advanced to the second round.

However, they were put into a difficult group with Egypt, Ghana, and the Republic of Congo. With two 0-0 draws against Ghana, a win and a draw against the Republic of Congo, and a historic victory over Egypt followed by a close loss at the Pharaohs’ stadium, Uganda finished the group stage with a 2-2 record.

The 9 points earned, however, were not enough for the Ugandans to advance against the 13 Egyptians who took first place in the standings.