AFCON 2025: Uganda, S.Africa battle for group top spot

_________________
 AFCON 2025 QUALIFICATION 

 FRIDAY GROUP K FIXTURE 
🇺🇬 Uganda v South Africa 🇿🇦
(Match kicks off at 4pm)
____________________________

It was mission complete for Uganda on the eve of their penultimate group duel with South Africa today (Friday) in the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers across the continent.

Despite needing only a draw from their last two games to qualify, the Uganda Cranes saw their qualification charge done for them by northern neighbours South Sudan after the Bright Stars edged Congo-Brazzaville 3-2 in Juba on Thursday.

That meant that Uganda (10 points) and South Africa (8 points) qualified without kicking a ball. And so did Gabon.

However, three-time champions Nigeria and 2004 winners Tunisia had to play on Thursday to book their tickets to Morocco.

Reigning African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen struck a late equalizer against Benin in a 1-1 result to send Nigeria through. 

Tunisia — reduced to 10 men after Wajdi Kechrida was sent off in the 89th minute — overcame Madagascar 3-2 in a game that also featured an own goal.

So on Thursday, five teams secured their spots at next year's AFCON: Uganda, South Africa, Gabon, Nigeria and Tunisia.

Before them, nine teams had already safely sailed ashore: Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast and Senegal.

Being the hosts, Morocco are guaranteed participants in this 24-nation showpiece. The 1976 winners are nonetheless playing the qualifiers to rack up much-needed practice.

Today (Friday), besides the action at Namboole Stadium, nine other games will be played, with teams looking to fill up seven of the remaining nine spots still up for grabs.

The likes of Botswana, Comoros, Mali, Mozambique, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe could secure those seven places in Morocco. If they do so, only two spots will be left thereafter.

Meanwhile, victory for Guinea over DR Congo this Saturday will send them through — but only if Tanzania fail to beat Ethiopia in the other Group H duel.

Benin, Rwanda and Libya are also eyeing a qualification spot.

 GROUP K  - AS IT STANDS  

Uganda back on Africa's big stage

Uganda are set to face off again with South Africa, the two sides having previously met in early September in a 2-2 thrilling contest.

Congo (four points) and South Sudan (three points) are each left with one group game — vs Uganda and vs South Africa, respectively.

For Uganda, it will be a return to the continent's flagship football tournament for the first time since the 2019 edition, where they were eliminated at the round of 16 stage by eventual losing finalists Senegal.

After failing to qualify for the 2021 edition in Cameroon and the 2023 tournament in Ivory Coast, the Uganda Cranes will be back on Africa's biggest footballing stage — under the guidance of a new head coach in the form of Belgian Paul Put.

Going into Friday's return leg against Hugo Broos' South Africa, Uganda knew a draw would secure them a ticket to Morocco. But South Sudan's victory — for which they picked their first points on the board — by extension completed the mission for The Cranes.

Compatriots Put and Broos will now guide their respective unbeaten sides to a Namboole top-of-the-table showdown in the comforting knowledge that no matter the outcome of their much anticipated clash, they will both be in Morocco next year, and now only have the group's top spot to battle for.

Mid-last month, Denis Omedi scored his second goal of this qualification campaign as Uganda beat South Sudan 2-1 in Juba to inch closer to securing a place in next year's finals.

Later that day (October 15), South Africa were held 1-1 by Congo-Brazzaville to ensure that no team in Group K could confirm progression to the Africa Cup of Nations finals at the time.

After Uganda had completed a double over South Sudan in the earlier kickoff, a South African win would have sealed qualification for both The Cranes and Bafana Bafana, but Broos' men were frustrated by a team they had thrashed 5-0 in the reverse fixture only four days prior.

Uganda climbed back to the summit of the group on 10 points while South Africa dropped to second place on eight points.

Congo-Brazzaville remained third on four points, with their draw against the South Africans keeping them still in contention mathematically. South Sudan, who at that point had lost all their four games played, anchored the log.

At the time, three teams could still advance.

Realistically though, with two group games left for each team, Uganda and South Africa remained the firm favourites to qualify in this six-round competition that is determining 23 qualifiers to join hosts Morocco.

▪️  Uganda complete double over South Sudan

Uganda's goal scorers

Uganda's seven goals scored thus far in this qualification campaign have been scored by five different Ugandans and one South Sudanese (own goal).

Denis Omedi and Rogers Mato both found the back of the net in Uganda's opener against South Africa in a 2-2 result on September 6.

Three days later (September 9), Aziz Kayondo and Jude Ssemugabi scored as hosts Uganda brushed aside Congo-Brazzaville in a 2-0 result at Namboole Stadium.

A month later, on October 11, Bevis Mugabi lifted the Cranes' goals tally to five with his winner against a battling South Sudan in Kampala.

In the reverse fixture in South Sudan's capital Juba four days later (October 15), Denis Omedi opened the scoring with his second goal of this campaign, which doubled as Uganda's sixth of the competition. South Sudanese Alfred Leku scored the winning own goal for Uganda in a 2-1 result.