Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Uganda’s national women’s football team, the Crested Cranes, have settled for a bronze medal after finishing third at the 2025 CECAFA Senior Women’s Championship, which concluded Saturday at the Azam Complex in Tanzania.
Despite arriving as defending champions, Uganda endured a disappointing tournament, managing just one win in four matches played under a round-robin format.
The Crested Cranes opened their campaign with a 1-0 loss to Burundi, before bouncing back in style with a 5-0 demolition of South Sudan, courtesy of a Sylvia Kabene hat-trick, and two other goals from Zaina Namuleme and Shamirah Nalugya.
However, momentum quickly faded as Uganda succumbed to a heavy 4-0 defeat at the hands of Kenya, followed by a 2-0 loss to hosts Tanzania on Thursday. The back-to-back defeats left Uganda with only three points and a -2 goal difference.
Hosts Tanzania were crowned champions after edging Kenya 1-0 in their final fixture. The Twiga Stars completed a perfect run, winning all their matches and sealing the title on home soil. Kenya finished second and took silver, while Uganda settled for third and bronze.
Uganda had entered the competition with high hopes of replicating their 2022 triumph, where they beat Burundi 3-1 in the final at the FUFA Technical Centre in Njeru. Back then, Sandra Nabweteme struck twice, and Fazila Ikwaput sealed the win. This time, those celebrations were beyond reach.
Tanzania also dominated the individual awards, with Najiati Idrissa named Best Goalkeeper, Diana Lucas Msewa taking home Best Player, and Opa Clement securing the Top Scorer award.
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