Thursday, September 24
•Tunisia Vs Uganda – 10pm
Uganda Cranes head coach Paul Put says facing Tunisia in the opening Group H match of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers presents an important opportunity for his team to test itself against one of the continent’s leading sides.
The Cranes take on Tunisia in Tunis as they begin their qualifying campaign, despite already securing automatic qualification for the tournament as co-hosts alongside Kenya and Tanzania.
Put says the matches will provide valuable preparation as Uganda builds a competitive squad capable of challenging at the finals next year.
“We know we are going to face a tough team, a team with a group of talented and experienced players, so it will be a tough game for us. But we are here. We are also preparing for AFCON, and for us, it is a big test to play one of the best teams in Africa now,” Put said.
The Belgian tactician insists Uganda will approach the encounter with the intention of competing rather than simply fulfilling its qualifying obligations.
“We will do our level best and make it difficult for Tunisia. The players have been working very hard in training, and I am very happy that everyone is focused.
“We are not here as tourists. We are here to play and do our level best. We want to play for our fans, and it is very important to put up a good show. It is going to be very hard and tough, but we will do our best.”
Put added that every match will be an opportunity for the team to learn, improve and develop, while warning players that they must maintain high standards throughout the campaign.
“Every game that we will play will be a preparatory game for us, but also to learn, improve and develop.
“I will not tolerate it if some players are not playing at their level best and not giving 100 per cent. Every game for us is very important. We were not able to have a training camp in March and in June; we lost two training camps,” he added.
The coach also stressed the need for his players to gain sufficient competitive action, saying: “We need players with competition in the legs.”
Uganda head into the encounter still searching for their first victory over Tunisia, having failed to win any of their six previous meetings. The Cranes also suffered a 3-1 defeat against the North Africans at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
However, Put is not dwelling on the historical record, insisting that his focus is on the team’s future prospects.
“In football, everything is possible. We are preparing well and hoping to go far in AFCON. The results in the past do not interest me so much; I look to the future,” he said.
Put is targeting a team capable of making a deep run at the 2027 tournament, drawing inspiration from his experience guiding Burkina Faso to the final of the 2013 AFCON, where they lost to Nigeria.
“When I was in Burkina Faso, no one knew we would reach the final. We are playing at home, we are hosting, and we are preparing to form a serious, strong team that will go all the way,” Put said.
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