Following a 2-2 draw away to South Africa on Friday to begin their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, Uganda will host Congo Brazzaville on Monday, September 9.
Heading into Monday’s game at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, Uganda and Congo Brazzaville have met five times in the past.
Unlike against South Africa, Uganda dominates this fixture with three victories compared to Congo’s one and a stalemate.
In 1978, the Uganda Cranes were AFCON finalists, and Congo was one of the teams they played against en route to the final.
Both were pooled in Group B at a tournament held in Ghana, it’s the Black Stars that defeated Uganda 2-0 in the final.
The game at Kumasi Sports Stadium in March 1978 ended 3-1 in favour of the Cranes thanks to goals from Philip Omondi, Edward Ssemwanga, and Godfrey Kisitu, whilst Jacques Mamounoubala was the player on target for the Red Devils.
Cranes and Red Devils would meet again after 34 years in February 2012 in the 2013 AFCON qualifiers and the latter avenged the former by the same scoreline 3-1 in Congo.
Uganda’s only goal in the game was scored by Mike Sserumaga as Tony Mawejje was sent off in the 90th minute.
Bobby Williamson’s charges overturned the result by thumping the Red Devils 4-0 at Namboole in the return leg played in June 2012.
Andy Mwesigwa, Geoffrey Massa, Emmanuel Okwi, and Godfrey Walusimbi scored for the Cranes. The latter’s goal came from a penalty kick.
It took four years for Uganda and Congo to meet again for their third game which was in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November 2016.
Uganda hosted the first leg and Farouk Miya netted the only goal of the game for the Pearl of Africa to win 1-0 at Namboole.
The second leg at Stade Alphonse Massemba Debat in November 2017 is when the two teams last met, and it ended 1-1, with Milton Karisa equalizing for Uganda.
