Interesting stats and facts as Uganda lock horns with Tunisia | AFCON 2025

Uganda Cranes kick starts their 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Nations Cup against Tunisia at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympique Annex in Rabat on Tuesday.

The two nations will face each other in the tournament for the first time since 1978 when the Cranes lost 3-1 to the Carthage Eagles but reached the final.

However, the first Afcon meeting between the two was in 1962 in their debut tournament with Tunisia claiming third place with a 3-0 victory.

Ahead the clash in Rabat, we delve into some interesting statistics and facts about the game.

• Tunisia have outscored Uganda 6–1 across their two previous AFCON meetings and hold a perfect record across all six encounters between the sides, with an aggregate score of 16–1.
• Tunisia’s biggest win over Uganda was a 6–0 home victory in 2000 AFCON qualifying on 27 February 1999, a match in which current Tunisia coach Sami Trabelsi featured as a player.
• If played, Uganda Cranes attacking midfielder Travis Mutyaba who plays his club football in Tunisia for CS Sfaxien could face team-mates Aymen Dahmen and Ali Maaloul of Tunisia.
• Uganda’s only goal against Tunisia was scored by Sam Musenze in 1978 Group stage match.

 Tunisia interesting stats

• The 2004 champions are playing at their 22^nd Afcon and their 17^th in a row, a tournament record appearing at every campaign since 1994.
• They are winless in their opening matches at the Afcon in the last five successive tournaments [D2, L3] with their last opening tournament win in 2013; 1-0 vs Algeria in South Africa.
• Have won just one of their last six AFCON matches (D2 L3), a 2021 round-of-16 win over Nigeria
• Their head coach Sami Trabelsi played at four AFCON tournaments (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000), finishing runner-up in 1996 

Uganda – Interesting stats

• This will be the eighth Afcon appearance at the finals for Uganda – the first in 1962 and last in 2019 in Egypt.
• Best finish came in 1978 when they were runners-up, losing the final 2–0 to Ghana.
• The Cranes have lost their opening match in five of their seven previous AFCON appearances winning against 3-0 vs. Congo in 1978 and 2-0 vs. DR Congo in 2019.
• Cranes’ biggest Afcon win came in 1978 with a 3–0 group-stage victory over 2025 hosts Morocco.
• Before the win against DR Congo in 2019, Uganda’s last win at the finals was in 1978 ending a winless streak of eleven matches. That made it one win in eight matches [D2, L5]
• Matches (23) involving Uganda Cranes at the Afcon have never ended goalless.
• The Cranes have also made it out of the group for only two times – 1978 when they reached the final and 2019 when they lost to Senegal in round of 16.
• This will be Joseph Paul Put fourth tournament at Afcon have previously led Burkina Faso in 2013 (finalists) and 2015 (group-stage exit), and Guinea in 2019 (round of 16) but has never won an AFCON opening match as a coach (D2 L1).
• Denis Onyango, Timothy Awany, Khalid Aucho, Isaac Muleme and Jamal Salim are the only players in the squad to have ever played at Afcon.