Uganda seeks to qualify to Africa Cup of Nations for the 8th time today as they take on Malawi at the Kamuzu Stadium.
Still second in group B, The Uganda Cranes need to avoid defeat against The Flames of Malawi to confirm their place in Cameroon next year.
Malawi on other hand have seven points and must win to secure a slot at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and their first since 2010.
In this article, Kawowo Sports’ Joel Muyita looks at how Uganda has earned qualification on the previous occasions.
1962 AFCON (Ethiopia)
This was the first time Uganda was qualifying to Africa Cup of Nations. The Cranes eliminated Zanzibar 2-0 to set up a date with bitter rivals Kenya in the final qualifying round.
Uganda won the first leg at home with a 1-0 score but Kenya also registered the same result in Nairobi and the winner had to be determined on drawing lots.
Luck was on Uganda’s side, winning the toss to earn qualification to the coveted tournament for the first time.
1968 AFCON (Ethiopia)
It took Uganda six years to return to tournament and this time it was expanded from four to eight teams and the cycle was also changed from three to two years.
Uganda once again overcame rivals Kenya in the qualifiers, winning the first leg 2-1 at Nakivubo before a three-all draw in Nairobi.
At the next stage which was also the final hurdle, Uganda faced Egypt and the first leg ended goalless in Cairo. Uganda won 1-0 in Kampala to earn qualification.
1974 AFCON (Egypt)
This was the third appearance for Uganda at the finals of Africa Cup of Nations with the tournament this time held in Egypt.
At the preliminary stage, The Cranes outwitted minnows Somalia winning 5-2 on aggregate, winning the first leg 2-1 away before completing the job at home with a 3-1 win.
Uganda was once again pitted again Kenya and the latter still reigned in the East African derby. Ashe Mukasa scored the lone goal as Uganda won 1-0 at home.
The Cranes won the reverse fixture in Nairobi 2-1 with Mukasa once again appearing on the score sheet while the other goal was scored by Charles Ssemwanga.
In the final qualifying round, Uganda was pitted against North African side Algeria and The Cranes nicked a 2-1 win at home thanks to goals from Ashe Mukasa and Dennis Obua (RIP).
The return leg in Algiers saw Uganda hold the Desert Foxes to a one-draw with Polly Ouma getting the vital goal thus ensuring the Cranes qualified for the 1974 edition 3-2 on aggregate.
1976 AFCON (Ethiopia)
Uganda did not take part in the preliminary round and started the qualification quest at the first round where they faced Mauritania.
The Cranes outwitted Mauritania 4-0 at Nakivubo Stadium before completing the task with a one-all draw in Port Louis.
The final hurdle pitted Uganda against Zambia and a 2-1 loss in the first leg meant Uganda had to win at home to qualify. The Cranes dispatched Chipolopolo 3-0 at Nakivubo Stadium thus qualifying for the final tournament.
1978 AFCON (Ghana)
This is by the far the best performance for Uganda at the Africa Cup of Nations. The Cranes went all the way to the finals where they lost 2-0 to hosts Ghana.
Prior to the 1978 Africa Cup of Nations, Uganda had played in four editions (1962, 1968, 1974 and 1976) but all ended with no success registered. Therefore, there was desire to not only qualify but make an improvement in the performance at the final tournament.
The Cranes were pitted against neighbours Tanzania in the first round of the qualifiers but the latter withdrew because of the political tensions between the two countries at the time.
Actually Tanzania had asked CAF to have the games played on a neutral ground but their request was turned down and thus Uganda was awarded with a walkover.
In the second and final qualifying phase, Uganda had to play Ethiopia who had eliminated Mauritius 4-2 on aggregate in the previous round.
Ethiopia hosted the first leg in Adis Ababa on 2nd October 1977 and a remarkable performance by goalkeeper Paul Ssali alias Commando helped Uganda to earn a point in the barren stalemate.
Ssali made numerous saves, including denying Ethiopian striker Solomon from the spot after skipper Jimmy Kirunda (RIP) had fouled in him in the penalty area.
The teams faced off in the return leg at Nakivubo War Memorial stadium two weeks later and once again, Ssali was outstanding.
Dennis Obua (RIP) gave Uganda the lead midway through the first half but Ethiopia stepped up their efforts in the second stanza make several inroads at Uganda’s goal.
The immense pressure pilled saw them win a penalty in the 59th minute when their fiercest striker Solomon was brought down in the box by Tom Lwanga. But like he did in Adis Ababa, Ssali once again rose to the occasion parrying away the resultant penalty.
At that time, Uganda was still in the lead and only needed to keep the score intact to seal their qualification berth.
Three minutes to the death of the clock, Ethiopia levelled matters. The cheering Ugandans were silenced, the mood in the stands swiftly changed from jubilant to sad. Solomon who had been denied on several occasions this time had finally found the back of the net.
At 1-1, Ethiopia was qualifying on away goals’ rule. The clock was fast running and many had lost hope with some of the fans already finding their way out of the stadium.
Deep in stoppage time, Uganda won a free kick and perhaps their last realistic chance of attack. Kirunda and Eddie Ssemwanga (RIP) share a few words before the latter ran to Ethiopia’s box.
Ssemwanga made the delivery from the free kick and Kirunda jumped high to head home the winning goal that not only sent Uganda to the 1978 AFCON tournament but also began the journey to the most successful expedition of the Cranes.
2017 AFCON (Gabon)
After several attempts of returning to the coveted tournament, Uganda Cranes eventually put a halt to a 39-year jinx earning qualification on 4th September 2016 at Mandela National Stadium, thanks to Faruku Miya’s goal against Comoros.
Uganda was placed in group D of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers alongside Burkina Faso, Botswana and Comoros.
The Cranes began the quest for qualification on a good note, defeating Botswana 2-0 at Mandela National Stadium with Geoffrey Massa and Brian Umony scoring.
The next game was a trip to the Island Nation of Comoros and the Cranes secured maximum points thanks to Tonny Mawejje’s solitary strike.
Uganda lost 1-0 to Burkina Faso on matchday three and the two sides played out a barren draw in the return leg in Kampala.
In the penultimate group game, Uganda defied odds to win their second game on the road, this time overcoming Botswana in Francistown. William Luwagga Kizito and Khalid Aucho scored for Uganda in the 2-1 win.
On 4th September 2016, Uganda needed a win against Comoros to stand a chance of qualifying. And the all-important moment arrived in the 36th minute when Miya scored to help Uganda win.
The Cranes finished second in group D on 13 points, same as leaders Burkina Faso but the former qualified as one of the best three runners-up.
2019 AFCON (Egypt)
Uganda had a successful run to returning to AFCON, topping group L in the qualifiers with 13 points and only losing one game (against Tanzania).
The Cranes kickstarted the campaign away in Cape Verde and secured a 1-0 win with Geoffrey Sserunkuma scoring.
In the second game, Uganda was held to a goalless draw by Tanzania but recovered to win a double header against Lesotho before sealing qualification with a 1-0 win against Cape Verde at Mandela National Stadium courtesy of Patrick Kaddu.
Ahead of today’s game, Uganda will seek to qualify for the 8th time to AFCON and only the third time when playing away.
