Uganda has qualified for every edition of the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) apart from the inaugural edition in 2009, but have never progressed past the group stages.
As they prepare to play the tournament for the sixth time in Algeria, the Ugandans have only one mission in mind, to ink their best ever performance in the tournament specifically designed for local-based players only.
The Cranes have been a force to reckon with in regional football in the CECAFA Zone, but they have not quite translated that to the Continent.
Match Schedule (Group B)
January 14, 2023 : DR Congo v Uganda, 17h00 local time – 19 May Stadium, Annaba
January 18, 2023 : Senegal v Uganda, 20h00 local time – 19 May Stadium, Annaba
January 22, 2023 : Uganda v Côte d’Ivoire, 20h00 local time – Baraki Stadium, Algiers
Coach- Milutin Sredojevic
Micho, as he is popularly known along the coaching circles is on his second stint with the Ugandan national team. The Serbian Wolf had his first stint with the Cranes between 2013 and 2017 where he led them to two consecutive CHAN appearances in 2014 and 2016, both ending in the group stages.
The tactician has a vast experience on the African continent having worked in South Africa with Orlando Pirates, in Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia and Egypt where he coached Zamalek in 2019 and will be looking towards the CHAN to imprint himself as one of the best tacticians around.
Players to watch:
Vipers SC skipper Milton Karisa is one of the players who will be very key for the tactician especially on the offensive lines. The striker has been in red hot form for Vipers so far this season and Micho will count on his goals and assists for a successful CHAN.
Though currently injured, Yunus Sentamu is in a race against time to be fit for selection for the CHAN team and his international experience will come in handy for the side in Algeria.
Another player who might earn a call-up to the team is goalkeeper Benjamin Ochan who currently plays for Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA). Though he didn’t play much during the qualification, his leadership and experience might come in handy for the Uganda Cranes in Algeria.
History in CHAN
Uganda have only failed to qualify for the CHAN once, in 2009.
They were at the 2011 edition in Sudan where they lost all their three group matches, improved in 2014 where they left with four points from a win and a draw, 2016 where they had two points off two draws, and 2018 as well as 2020 where they had a single point.
History of local football
Just as is with many East African countries, they do not have massive history in continental football.
Currently, the biggest clubs in the country are KCCA and Vipers, who also contribute to majority of the players in the national team. Vipers just recently qualified for the group stages of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League for the first time ever after an infamous win over TP Mazembe.
They are currently the defending champions of the league, having clinched it for the fifth time. They have also won the Uganda Cup once, in 2015.
KCCA is however the second most successful club in Uganda, having won the Premier League title 13 times and the Uganda Cup 10 times. The most successful club in Uganda is however SC Villa who have won the league title 16 times, but have struggled over the recent years.
Participations and success in interclubs
Continentally, KCCA reached the quarter final of the Champions League, then called Cup of Africa Champions in 1978 and 1982. They also made the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup in 2017 and made the quarters of the tournament in 1985, then called the CAF Cup Winners’ Cup.
SC Villa reached the final of the CAF Champions League, then the Cup of Champions Clubs in 1991. They were quarter finalists in 1983 and 1993. They were also finalists of the CAF Cup in 1992.
Source: Confederation of African Football