By Ronald Ocweo
The Uganda Cranes secured their berth in the AFCON set to be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, despite suffering a 2-0 defeat against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana at the Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, on Friday, November 15, 2024.
Having spearheaded the group with 10 points prior to the match, the destiny of the Uganda Cranes’ qualification awaited confirmation from South Sudan’s showdown against Congo Brazzaville at the Juba International Stadium. Congo Brazzaville required a victory against South Sudan not only to sustain their qualification hopes but also to exert pressure on the Uganda Cranes. Nonetheless, the Bright Stars of South Sudan, who were already eliminated, needed a revitalization to prevent concluding the qualification campaign without any points. South Sudan narrowly defeated Congo Brazzaville 3-2, bringing their total points to 3, just one point behind Congo Brazzaville, who sits at 4 points with one game remaining. Uganda Cranes, on the contrary, currently holds the second position with 10 points, while South Africa leads at 11 points, both teams having one game left to play.
This implies that Uganda and South Africa have secured their spots in AFCON 2025 as the top two teams in Group K, with a game still to be played. Any potential defeats for these teams at this juncture would have no impact on their current positions. Uganda is scheduled to compete against Congo Brazzaville at the Alphonse Massamba-Debat Stadium on Tuesday, the 19th of November, while South Africa
will be the venue for the match between South Africa and South Sudan at the Cape Town Stadium on the same date.
A victory for Uganda would propel them to the top of the standings, especially considering the shortcomings of Bafana Bafana in Cape Town against South Sudan. A victory for South Sudan over the already qualified South Africa would propel them ahead of Congo Brazaville in the standings if the latter fails to secure maximum points against Uganda.
Last Group Fixtures;
Tuesday 19 November, 2024
Congo Brazzaville Vs Uganda, Stade Alphonse Massamba-Debat, 7pm
South Africa Vs South Sudan, Cape Town Stadium, 7pm
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