David GOMBE
Uganda will kick-off their 2024 CHAN tournament against last edition’s runners-up Algeria on Monday 4th August, 2025, at Mandela National Stadium.
Uganda is co-hosting the tournament along with Tanzania, who beat Burkina Faso in the first game of the tournament and Kenya who overcame DR Congo on Sunday.
This is the biggest football tournament that Uganda has hosted and will be aiming to bank on home support to reach the knockout phase.
Their first group C encounter at the refurbished Mandela National Stadium that has a new look with electronic LED boards and Video Assistant Refereeing technology (VAR), the first ever in the country will be against Algeria.
The Cranes are playing in their seventh edition of the tournament that only features local based players. Only missing the inaugural 2009 edition. DR Congo is the other nation to have featured in seven CHAN final tournaments.
This will be the second meeting between Uganda and Algeria at the CHAN tournament, the North African side beat the Cranes 2-0 at the 2011 edition hosted in Sudan.
Abdelmoumene Djabou and El Hilal Soudani scored the two goals for Algeria in what was also the debut game for the two nations in the competition.
This is also the fourth time that Uganda is facing a North African side at CHAN and they have lost the previous three, lost 2-0 to Algeria and suffered two defeats to Morocco 3-1 in 2014 and 5-2 in 2020.
Algeri, on the otherte facing a host nation for a third time at the CHAN tournament. They drew goalless with Sudan in the 2011 group stage and lost to the same side in the third place playoff.
Key Players
Uganda will bank on captain Allan Okello and Ivan Ahimbisibwe, who together produced 35 goals in the 24/25 Uganda Premier League season.
Morley Byekwaso will also look up to the Vipers SC couple of Yunus Sentamu, and Abdul Karim Watambala, who are the only players in the current Cranes team to have featured at the CHAN tournament.
After years of near misses, Madjid Bougherra’s Algeria coached side will be aiming for glory and will look at Aymen Mahious for inspiration.
Okello, hopeful, Uganda can make history on home soil.
“We played them in the World Cup qualifiers and lost, but we learned from our mistakes. There’s no room for error now. We need to make history in front of our fans, and we are prepared.”
“You can get tired for some minutes, but when you hear voices behind you, you push on,” he said.
“So, we need fans to fill up Namboole tomorrow and in all the upcoming games. We can make history together.” Noted Okello
Before Uganda Cranes game, Niger who were semifinalists in the 2022 edition while lock horns with Guinea in the first CHAN game to be hosted in Namboole.
Uganda – Key Facts
•Appearing at their seventh CHAN finals, becoming the first nation to qualify for seven consecutive editions
•Uganda and DR Congo are tied for most overall appearances at CHAN (7 each)
•Yet to progress beyond the group stage in any of their six previous appearances
•Only missed the inaugural edition in 2009, featuring in every tournament since 2011
•Opening game record: P6 W1 D3 L2
•Only opening win was against Burkina Faso in 2014
•Lost their first games to Algeria in 2011 (2-0) and Zambia in 2018 (3-1)
•Drew opening matches against Mali (2-2 in 2016), Rwanda (0-0 in 2020), and DR Congo (0-0 in 2022)
•In 18 CHAN games, Uganda won just two against Burkina Faso in 2014 and Senegal in 2022
•Defeated Senegal 1-0 in their second group game at the last edition, ending a 12-game winless run (D6 L6)
Algeria – Key Facts
•Have won both of their CHAN opening matches: 2-0 vs Uganda (2011) and 1-0 vs Libya (2022)
•Reached at least the semi-finals in both previous appearances, finishing fourth in 2011 and as runners-up in 2022
•Did not concede a single goal during the 2022 edition, keeping six clean sheets
•Only defeat at the last tournament came in the final, losing to Senegal on penalties
•Undefeated in CHAN group stage matches: W4 D2
•Won all three group games at the 2022 edition by 1-0 margins (vs Libya, Ethiopia, and Sudan)
•In 2011, beat Uganda 2-0, drew 2-2 with Gabon, and drew 0-0 with Sudan
•Have kept five clean sheets in six group matches, only conceding in a 2-2 draw with Gabon
•Have gone 622 minutes without conceding a goal at CHAN; last goal conceded was in the 37th minute of the 2011 third-place play-off against Sudan
•Across 12 CHAN matches, Algeria have recorded 9 clean sheets; all four goals conceded came in 2011
•Overall record in CHAN: W7 D4 L1 (only open-play loss to Sudan in 2011)
•Failed to score in just three CHAN games twice against Sudan (2011) and once against Senegal (2022 final)
•Biggest CHAN win: 5-0 vs Niger in the 2022 semi-finals
•Qualified for the 2022 edition by beating Gambia 3-0 on aggregate (0-0 away, 3-0 home)
