AFCON 2025: Uganda draws South Africa, S. Sudan and Congo as CAF unveils qualifier groups

Uganda’s National team the Cranes will new acquaintances with East African neighbours South Sudan and South Africa alongside Congo Brazzaville in Group K of the 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The draws held in Johannesburg, South Africa on Thursday, July 4, 2024, will see a host of pictures played home and away for the tournament which will be hosted in Morocco next year.

Prior to the draws, Uganda was placed in Pot 2 and thus had to face a team from the rest of the pots 1,3 and 4, while South Africa, last edition’s bronze medalists were seeded in Pot A, while Congo and South Sudan were in pots 3 and 4 respectively.

Uganda has not been to the Africa Cup of Nations for the last two editions and the ultimate target will be to return to the coveted Championship next year before co-hosting the 2027 AFCON edition with Tanzania and Kenya.

Uganda last faced South Africa, last edition’s bronze medalists in 2005 with Bafana beating Uganda at Namboole. In fact, they were the last team to inflict defeat on Uganda Cranes at Namboole until 2015 when they lost to Togo after over ten years.

Congo Brazzaville were the side that Uganda eliminated in the mini-qualifiers for the 2013 qualifiers despite a heavy 3-1 loss in the first leg played in Brazzaville.

For South Sudan, the last competitive meeting was in the qualifiers for 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers with the Bright Stars shocking Uganda with a 1-0 defeat in Nairobi courtesy of Tito Okello’s first-half goal.

The qualifiers begin in September this year and will be complete in 90 days with the final tournament scheduled for December next year.

Afcon 2025 Qualifiers Groups

• Group A: Tunisia, Madagascar, Comoros, Gambia
• Group B: Morocco, Gabon, Central African Republic, Lesotho
• Group C: Egypt, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Botswana
• Group D: Nigeria, Benin, Libya, Rwanda
• Group E: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Liberia
• Group F: Ghana, Angola, Sudan, Niger
• Group G: Ivory Coast, Zambia, Siera Leone, Chad
• Group H: DR Congo, Guinea, Tanzania, Ethiopia
• Group I: Mali, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Eswatini
• Group J: Cameroon, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe
• Group K: South Africa, Uganda, Congo Brazzaville, South Sudan
• Group L: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Burundi

The fixtures

Uganda will start with Bafana Bafana away, then host Congo Brazzaville in September before back-to-back fixtures against South Sudan in October and then host and visit South Africa and Congo respectively in November this year.