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Uganda Cranes heavily weighed down by history
Algeria's Soufine Beyazid (left) battles for the ball with Rogers Torach of Uganda during their 2024 African Nations Championship Group 'C' match Nelson Mandela Stadium in Kampala on August 4, 2025.
What you need to know:
- While fellow co-hosts Kenya and Tanzania started their campaigns with victories, Ugandans were left contemplating their dire situation.
- They became the first Chan hosts to lose their opening match since the inaugural edition in 2009 when Cote d’Ivoire lost 3-0 to Zambia.
The result could not have been more ironic. The Uganda Cranes lost 3-0 to Algeria’s Desert Foxes in their opening match of the 2024 African Nations Championship (Chan) to become the first country to concede 30 goals in the history of the competition.
The defeat was Uganda’s 11th in Chan competitions – another tournament record.
That loss was also Uganda’s worst at home since Togo thrashed them 3-0 in June 2001 during an Afcon 2002 qualifier match.
It was also the second time they were losing by a margin of at least three goals in the last 55 years, since a 4-1 defeat to DR Congo in November 1970.
The Group 'C' match played on Monday night at Kampala’s Mandela National Stadium could have had a familiar feel for the Algerians.
Les Fennecs - The Desert Foxes - played five of their six matches at 2022 Chan that they hosted, at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Algiers.
They eventually lost in the finals to Senegal, 5-4 on penalties following a 0-0 draw in regulation and extra time.
Against the Uganda Cranes, Madjid Bougherra’s charges demonstrated their firepower, scoring goals through a header, a left foot rocket, and a right foot tap-in.
Algerian players celebrate their third goal against Uganda in a Group ‘C’ match at the 2024 African Nations Championships at Nelson Mandela Stadium in Kampala on August 4, 2025.
The third goal was the finest of them all, an early contender for the goal of the tournament. It was a compilation of magic tricks that had the Ugandan defence desperately searching for the ball with the Algerian forwards hiding it from them with a back heel pass, a forward pass, and a step over that sent goalkeeper Joel Mutakubwa swimming on the turf.
When the Ugandans finally saw the ball, it was bouncing off the net after Sofiane Bayazid had tapped it in.
While fellow co-hosts Kenya and Tanzania started their campaigns with 1-0 and 2-0 victories over DR Congo and Burkina Faso respectively, Ugandans were left contemplating their dire situation.
They became the first Chan hosts to lose their opening match since the inaugural edition in when Cote d’Ivoire, similarly, succumbed to a 3-0 loss to Zambia.
Uganda’s loss ended a run of eight matches of Chan hosts winning their opening match. The result extended Uganda’s woeful Chan record.
Uganda Cranes have played the most matches in Chan finals, 19, and competed in the most tournaments, six, without ever reaching the knock-out stage.
They are now in their seventh appearance, a joint record they share with DR Congo who have won the tournament twice (2009 and 2016).
Debutants Kenya need only one more win to equal Uganda’s number of victories in the competition’s history.
Tanzania, who have played seven Chan finals matches, equalled Uganda’s number of victories when they defeated Burkina Faso on Saturday.
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni pledged USh1.2 billion (Sh44 million) to the Cranes for every match they win.
They next face Guinea on Friday at Nelson Mandela National Stadium.
