The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda National Women’s football team, the Crested Cranes will play Algeria in the first round of next year’s Total Energies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
According to the draws held on Thursday night at CAF Headquarters in Egypt, the winner between Uganda and Algeria will then face either Burundi or Ethiopia in the second and final qualification round.
FUFA, in a statement, said that the first round will be played between the 18th -26th of November 2023 with Uganda hosting the first leg while the second round games will be played between November 27th – 5th of December.
The Crested Cranes will be pushing to return to the continental showpiece for the third time after they participated in the previous edition where they were making a return after spending twenty years without participating in the prestigious tournament while their opponents Algeria never qualified.
However, the Crested Cranes will be up against a formidable opponent this time around that is expected to pose a significantly tougher challenge unlike the previous qualifiers, which saw them triumph over Ethiopia in the first round and receive a walkover in the second round against Kenya who were serving a FIFA ban.
During the final tournament (AFCON), Uganda was placed in Group A with Morocco, Senegal, and Burkina Faso. Unfortunately, the Crested Cranes could only secure one point, finishing at the bottom of the group after one draw and two losses.
Meanwhile, the draws also come at a time when the team is already in residential camp preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympic Qualifiers doubleheader against Rivals Rwanda at the first qualification phase with the first leg slated for 12th July which Uganda is supposed to host while the return leg will come a week later.
The winner on aggregate will then proceed to the next round and play Cameroon which got a bye in the first round.
We have been drawn against Algeria at this first round of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers.
The winner between Uganda and Algeria will face either Burundi or Ethiopia at the second and final qualification phase.#WomenFootballUG pic.twitter.com/YuWrMUH0tH
— Crested Cranes (@CrestedCranes) July 6, 2023
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