Reviewed by Michael AinomugishaUganda sports betting writer
Published 28 September 2026
FUFA says nine of the twenty heritage players it identified have joined the Uganda Cranes contingent before the AFCON 2027 qualifier against Libya at Hoima City Stadium on 29 September.
The federation named them as Abdoulaye Sissako, Akpan David Udoh, Dieudonne Gaucho Debohi, Souleyman Diaby, Arnold Vula, Noble Okello, Nathan Asiimwe, Kelvin Owusu Boateng and Kingdom Osayi. FUFA says consultants compiled a report listing more than two hundred professionals worldwide who are eligible for Uganda, that twenty were selected from it, and that nine have now arrived.
Who the nine are
Sissako is a midfielder at Sint-Truiden in Belgium. Debohi plays for Rakow Czestochowa in Poland and Diaby for FC Winterthur in Switzerland. Vula is a forward at K. Beerschot VA in Belgium and Boateng a centre forward at Austria Vienna.
Udoh keeps goal for Mosta FC in Malta and Osayi for Assyriska FF in Sweden. Okello is at Lexington SC in the United States and Asiimwe is at Salford City on loan from Charlton Athletic.
Okello has been capped twice by Canada. Udoh won the 2015 FIFA Under 17 World Cup with Nigeria. Asiimwe and Okello had already featured against Tunisia before this announcement.
Where Group H stands
Uganda drew one all with Tunisia in Rades on 24 September, Rogers Mato scoring. Libya and Botswana drew two all on the same matchday, so all four teams in Group H have a point. That is the group the squad Paul Put named for this window was picked to play in.
Put was not satisfied with how Tunisia scored. “I was not very pleased with the goal that we conceded from the set piece. In AFCON 2025, we played Tunisia and it was also from a set piece. I’m not happy with that, and I told the players,” he said.
CAF’s rule is that the first two teams in each group qualify, except in Groups D, H and L, where Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are already through as hosts and only the highest ranked team outside the host advances. Uganda are at the 2027 finals whatever happens in Hoima, and the one place in Group H goes to Tunisia, Libya or Botswana. It is the same rule Group L runs on.
Kick off in Hoima is at seven in the evening on 29 September. FUFA set tickets at 20,000 shillings for the ordinary lower stand, 30,000 for the ordinary upper and 150,000 for VIP, and a Uganda result still decides which of Tunisia, Libya and Botswana takes the place. Follow it in Uganda sports news.
