If Tuesday night in Boukhalfa, Algeria marked the end of Uganda’s World Cup journey, it also felt like the beginning of something sturdier – a team growing in shape, confidence, and belief.
Defeat to the hosts stung, yes. To lead through a well-executed Steven Mukwala goal for 74 minutes in the house of giants only to be undone by two late Mohamed Amoura penalties was cruel in its timing and its symbolism.
Yet, until then, what unfolded on the field – the defensive organisation, the cohesion, the refusal to wilt – suggested a Cranes side no longer flattered by effort alone.
Progress, not pity
Paul Put’s men finished their World Cup qualifying campaign on 18 points, seven behind group winners Algeria, but with six clean sheets in ten matches and a goal difference of +5 in real terms before Caf’s points revision in the event of a playoff fight – numbers that whisper progress, not pity.
The Belgian coach, often measured in tone, has quietly built something sturdier.
The backline – Toby Sibbick, Elio Capradossi, Jordan Obita, and a greatly improved Aziz Kayondo – has grown into a dependable unit, confident on the ball and hard to break down.
When you think of Bevis Mugabi and Timothy Awany, who have been out of action for the Cranes the latter part of this campaign, you see solid depth.
Add the return of Denis Onyango, whose calm and experience is invaluable even though he could not change much in cameo, and Uganda suddenly look richer in options than they have in years.
Promising front, and could do more
Further forward, there is craft and purpose. Allan Okello, now coming of age, has emerged as the Cranes’ creative heartbeat – intelligent between the lines, decisive in transition.
Between Chan and the World Cup qualifiers, he has been involved in 11 goals (six scored, five assisted) – and his partnership with Rogers Mato and Jude Ssemugabi, with Travis Mutyaba the ever ready substitute, hints at an attacking evolution that could yet blossom in Morocco this December.
Uganda scored 14 goals through eight different players in the World Cup qualifiers – a sign of shared responsibility and tactical flexibility.
For a side that once depended on occasional moments or defensive stoicism, that is not a small shift.
Put ball
Put, too, deserves his flowers. He has navigated absences, blooded new players, and restored competition for places without compromising structure.
There is some clarity in how Uganda play Put ball now: compact, patient, and expressive when the spaces open. His insistence on tactical discipline and fluid transition has been quietly transformative.
Even in Boukhalfa, as Algeria’s stars pressed relentlessly – Riyad Mahrez, before he was later substituted, from one wing, Amoura from the other – the Cranes stayed compact and intelligent. Only late lapses, perhaps more from exhaustion than anxiety, separated the two sides.
Jamal is fine, Afcon next
Off the pitch, there was also relief. Goalkeeper Salim Jamal Magoola, stretchered off after a heavy collision, was declared out of danger and discharged from hospital.
The next step, of course, is Afcon 2025 in Morocco – a tournament that now looms as the perfect proving ground for this maturing team.
If the World Cup dream was about chasing wild glory, the Cup of Nations offers a more tangible opportunity: to test the progress, to prove that the growth witnessed over these ten matches wasn’t fleeting.
Uganda may have reached the end of the road in World Cup terms, but unlike in past campaigns, this feels less like a dead end – and more like a detour to something real, something sustainable.
Because for once, the story isn’t about what’s been lost. It’s about what’s being built.
Fifa 2026 World Cup Qualifiers (Caf)
Final Group G results
Algeria 2-1 Uganda
Guinea 2-2 Botswana
Somalia 0-1 Mozambique
Final Group G Standings
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Algeria 10 8 1 1 24 8 +16 25 (WC)
Uganda 10 6 0 4 14 9 +5 18
Mozambique 10 6 0 4 14 17 -3 18
Guinea 10 4 3 3 11 8 +3 15
Botswana 10 3 1 6 12 16 -4 10
Somalia 10 0 1 9 3 20 -17 1
World Cup Qualified Nations: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast
Caf Playoffs (to be played in Morocco)
November 13 – Semifinal 1: Nigeria vs Gabon; Semifinal 2: Cameroon vs DR Congo
Final (Nov 16) – Winners meet; victor advances to the six-team intercontinental final where the top two qualify for the World Cup