The Uganda Cranes held their final training session this evening ahead of the decisive 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier match against Algeria, scheduled for Tuesday 14th October 2025 at 7 p.m. East African Time.
The session was attended by the Minister of State for Sports Hon. Peter Ogwang, National Council of Sports General Secretary Dr. Patrick Bernard Ogwel, and the Ambassador of Uganda to Algeria and the Maghreb Region Hon. Alintuma Nsambu, who all showed their support to the team.
Captain Khalid Aucho expressed confidence in the team’s readiness and praised the players’ commitment and focus.
‘Yeah, the players are ready. We travelled for two days, and the group handled everything with great professionalism. Yesterday we had a very good training session, and today we completed our final one with everyone in good condition,’ said Aucho. ‘All the players are fit, motivated, and ready to give their best. For us, the focus is on delivering tomorrow. We need to give our best for the game.’
Head Coach Paul Put commended his players’ spirit and determination ahead of the crucial encounter.
‘Our journey to Algeria took some time, but I am very happy with how the players have responded. What I saw in training gives me a lot of confidence. The players are ready to give everything to make the people proud and to make themselves proud,’ said Put. ‘It will be a big game in a full stadium with seventy thousand people, but I have full trust in this team. They have shown strong attitude and professionalism, and we believe in what we can achieve.’
‘I want to thank our supporters. They always give us great energy. We ask them to stay behind the team and remain positive as we go into this important match.’ Put added.
Current standing
Understanding the Second-Placed Teams Path
According to CAF’s qualification format, the nine group winners will qualify directly for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The nine second-placed teams will then be compared to determine which among them will advance to the next stage of qualification.
For this comparison, results against the bottom-placed team in each group are not counted. Only matches played against the top five teams in the group are considered. After this adjustment, the best-ranked second-placed teams are determined using standard FIFA tie-breaking criteria such as points, goal difference, and goals scored.
Uganda currently sit second in Group G with eighteen points, four behind Algeria who lead with twenty-two points. A positive result in Algiers would strengthen Uganda’s chances of finishing as one of the best second-placed teams and potentially advancing to the next qualification stage.
Pictorial
