As the Uganda Cranes put the finishing touches on their preparations, midfielder Allan Okello has issued a passionate battle cry to his teammates, demanding that the squad fight for every single inch when they face Tunisia tomorrow in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group stage match.
The high-stakes clash is set to take place at the Stade Olympique Hammadi Agrebi in Rades on Thursday, September 24.
Addressing the challenge ahead, Okello insisted that the team must leave nothing to chance, stating they need to give 100 per cent, 200 per cent to secure a vital result away from home.
Okello was among the latest arrivals to the Cranes camp, checking in on Tuesday, September 22, as preparations intensified. He reported that the team’s latest training sessions have been encouraging, with the squad actively drilling tactical solutions to counter the North Africans.
“Yesterday, hopefully they had a very good training,” Okello said. “Today we had a wonderful one. We have been working on some solutions towards the game and hopefully we are ready by match day.”
Uganda’s preparations have admittedly been squeezed by a short window. A mix of late arrivals, injuries, and illness forced head coach Paul Put to make quick tactical adjustments.
While acknowledging that limited preparation time is a recurring hurdle for the Cranes, Okello expressed profound belief in the group’s determination to maximize this opportunity.
“I would say most of the time we don’t have time to prepare enough, but this time around we just want to give the best for the team and hopefully we get results from away,” he noted.
The Cranes arrived in Tunisia carrying memories of their previous meeting with the North Africans at the 2017 International friendly, where Tunisia secured a 2-0 victory. Okello believes that painful encounter serves a purpose, helping Uganda approach Thursday’s fixture with a much greater understanding of their opponents.
“Come match day, we are going to give 100% and we believe that we need to fight so hard because it’s not going to be an easy game. Fight 100%, 200% to make sure that we get the results,” Okello said.
Recalling their past meeting, he admitted that Uganda was heavily hurt by lapses in concentration during what was also their opening match of that 2025 AFCON campaign and qualification cycle.
“We lacked a lot of concentration by then. It was our first game in the group stage. Again, our first game in the qualification,” he explained.
However, the midfielder feels confident that the current squad knows significantly more about Tunisia and will not be stepping onto the pitch blindly.
“But now we have a high idea about them. Not like before, we didn’t have any idea. So this time around I believe that it’s going to be a wonderful game from both sides. We respect them and we believe that we just need to fight hard enough to get the results we need.”
Okello’s arrival bolstered a fully assembled camp of 26 players as Uganda completed its build-up in Tunis. He joined alongside fellow late arrivals Gavin Kizito, Joseph Sseremba, Denis Omedi, Denis Onyango, and Nathan Asiimwe.
Head coach Paul Put initially traveled with a domestic contingent from the Uganda Premier League before foreign based players filtered into the camp from across Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
The complete 26 player squad currently in Tunisia features:
- Goalkeepers: Hannington Ssebwalunyo, David Lukwago, Denis Onyango
- Defenders: Geofrey Lubanga Kene, Herbert Achayi, Hilary Mukundane, Jonathan Odongo, Kenneth Semakula, Toby Sibbick, Gavin Kizito, Nathan Asiimwe, Rogers Torach, Abdu Aziizi Kayondo.
- Midfielders & Forwards: Richard Basangwa, Frank Ssebufu, Hassan Mubiru, Steven Mukwala, Rogers Mato, Allan Oyirwoth, Joseph Seremba, Denis Omedi, James Bogere, Allan Okello, Travis Mutyaba, Noble Okello, Baba Alhassan.
Although Uganda is already assured of automatic qualification for the 2027 AFCON as one of the co-hosts alongside Kenya and Tanzania under the East African “Pamoja” bid, the Cranes remain active and fierce participants in the qualification campaign.
Following tomorrow’s battle against Tunisia, the Cranes will return home to face Libya on September 29 at the newly built Hoima City Stadium, marking the historic opening of international football at the venue.
With little time to catch their breath, Uganda will then turn their attention to South Africa for two international friendlies against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Johannesburg. The first meeting is scheduled for October 2, followed by the second match three days later on October 5.