Uganda qualify for AFCON 2025 with two games to spare

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 AFCON 2025 QUALIFICATION 

 THURSDAY RESULT 
🇸🇸 SOUTH SUDAN 3-2 CONGO-BRAZZAVILLE  🇨🇬
 FRIDAY FIXTURE 
🇺🇬 UGANDA v SOUTH AFRICA 🇿🇦

The Uganda Cranes have qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations due in Morocco with two games to spare, after South Sudan's 3-2 victory over third-placed Congo-Brazzaville on Thursday meant that The Red Devils can neither catch Uganda — who lead Group K — nor second-placed South Africa.

Uganda (10 points) will play their penultimate qualification group game against South Africa (eight points) on Friday at Namboole Stadium in Kampala.

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.

 GROUP K  - AS IT STANDS  

Cranes soar to Morocco

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.