Three years on to what will be a 23rd FIFA World Cup, it is time for Uganda to set upon the path that will attempt to deliver on that promise as Africa holds its breath as the preliminary draw looms.
Uganda’s football governing body, FUFA, has constantly reminded whoever cares to listen that qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup remains the ultimate target for the national team.
As FUFA has fidgeted to have the pieces of an intended Uganda Cranes transition and rebuild in order, they have passed on the same message.
It stems from a strategic plan to have a well nurtured Cranes team ready by the time the football world convenes for its four-year extravaganza that will be co-hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.
Three years on to what will be a 23rd FIFA World Cup, it is time for Uganda to set upon the path that will attempt to deliver on that promise as Africa holds its breath as the preliminary draw looms.
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The stage is set for the official Draw of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ African Preliminaries Qualifiers, which will be held on Thursday, 13 July in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
For the first time in history, all 54 FIFA-affiliated football associations from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will be vying for qualification.
According to the draw pots announced on 30 June, nine slots in the final tournament and one inter-confederation play-off slot have been allocated for CAF teams.
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This marks a significant increase from previous years, where only five teams from CAF directly qualified.
This expansion prompted the CAF Executive Committee to unveil a new qualification format. As per the revised format, teams will be divided into nine groups of six teams each.
The winner from each group will secure direct entry into the World Cup. The four best group runners-up will then participate in play-offs to determine who advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.
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Uganda has been placed in Pot 3, sharing the pot with neighbouring Kenya, Benin, Mauritania, Congo Brazzaville, Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, and Angola.
Uganda will have its eyes on the top-seeded teams from Pot 1, which includes African champions Senegal, 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, and Ivory Coast.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s neighbours Tanzania have been placed in Pot 4, alongside Zimbabwe, whose FIFA ban was lifted just days before the draw.
Other East African nations, Rwanda and Burundi, will be drawn from Pot 5, while South Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti have been slotted into Pot 6.
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The intense and highly competitive qualification campaign for the World Cup will commence in November 2023 and run until October 2025, with the inter-confederation playoffs set to be played in November 2025.
The 2025 FIFA World Cup is set to be the first expansion, and change of any kind, in the competition's format since 1998.
The tournament will take place from a yet to be determined date in June to July 19, 2026, and will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in the three North American countries.
For the first time the FIFA World Cup will include 48 teams, an expansion by 16 compared with the previous seven tournaments.
The teams will be split in 12 groups of 4 teams, with the top two of each group and the eight best third-placed teams progressing to a new round of 32
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