Uganda Cranes’ Cancelled Friendlies Highlight Bigger Test Ahead of Home AFCON 2027

Uganda Cranes’ cancelled friendlies in Morocco deprived coach Paul Put’s team of key preparation and tactical assessment ahead of AFCON 2027, highlighting the need for alternative fixtures and sustained focus to build competitiveness despite already qualifying for the tournament.

For a team already assured of a place at AFCON 2027, the Uganda Cranes find themselves in an unusual position.

The destination is secured, but the journey is not.

That is why the cancellation of this week’s friendly matches against Tanzania and Madagascar in Morocco carries more weight than any possible scoreline would have.

These matches were never about results. They were about information, about evidence. They were meant to reveal where Uganda truly stand ahead of the continent arriving on East African soil next year.

Resisting comfort

Head coach Paul Put has largely resisted comfort since taking charge. The Belgian understands that hosting an AFCON can easily create a false sense of security.

Qualification is already guaranteed, but competitiveness is not.

Uganda cannot afford to wait until 2027 to uncover their weaknesses. The Morocco camp was intended to answer key questions.

Could in-form Allan Okello establish himself as the creative focal point of the team? Which locally based players are ready to step up? How much progress has the squad made since the previous international window?

Timing matters

Against Tanzania and Madagascar, Uganda would have gained at least some early answers. The timing of these games mattered greatly.

Although Uganda’s AFCON qualifying campaign begins in September, the Cranes are not playing for qualification in the traditional sense. Instead, they are preparing for the finals they will host.

Each international window between now and 2027 is therefore less about qualification and more about building and refinement.

Instead, the team arrived in Morocco only to find the fixtures cancelled due to public health concerns linked to an Ebola outbreak, largely centered in neighbouring DRC, with a few cases reported in Uganda. The squad had travelled, preparations were complete, but the matches were called off.

The real test

Paul Put needs opponents, he needs minutes, and above all, he needs data. The responsibility now shifts to FUFA. While the lost matches cannot be recovered, a response is still possible.

Replacement fixtures in future windows, if arranged, will become even more critical. Longer training camps and more structured preparation may also be required to make up for the lost playing time.

September will come, then October. The road to a home AFCON will continue regardless.

The Cranes may have lost two matches, but what they cannot afford to lose is focus and momentum.

Because that, more than any cancelled fixture, would be the real setback.