Tuesday October 14, 2025
- Hocine Ait Ahmed stadium, 7pm
A word cup continental playoff at stake as Uganda Cranes battle Algeria’s Desert Foxes at the Hocine Ait Ahmed stadium in the final 2026 World Cup qualifying match.
With Algeria already qualified, Uganda lies second on 18 points and a win could earn them a spot amongst the four best ranked second positioned teams.
Heading to the clash against the hosts, Uganda are on 12 points after deduction of points against lowest positioned Somalia in Group G, a win will move the Cranes level on points with Niger, Burkina Faso and Cameroon who have exhausted their matches.
The players are led by captain Khalid Aucho understand what is at stake as he expressed in a pre-match interview.
“Yeah, the players are ready. We travelled for two days, and the group handled everything with great professionalism. All the players are fit, motivated, and ready to give their best. For us, the focus is on delivering tomorrow. We need to give our best for the game.”
Paul Put, the Belgian who has guided the team to four successive wins in the campaign so far sounded confident of upsetting the Algerians who return to the first world cup since 2014 in Brazil.
“The players are ready to give everything to make the people proud and to make themselves proud. It will be a big game in a full stadium with seventy thousand people, but I have full trust in this team. They have shown strong attitude and professionalism, and we believe in what we can achieve.”
For starters, they must beat Algeria and hope that DR Congo doesn’t win their final against Sudan who they host on the final day.
In addition, Nigeria shouldn’t beat Benin in the group C which could lift them to second place in case South Africa earn victory over Rwanda’s Amavubi.
Uganda Cranes Probable XI
Onyango, Sibbick, Obita, Capradossi, Kayondo, Aucho ©, Ssemakula, Okello, Mukwala, Mato