Four foreign-based players have joined the Crested Cranes camp as Uganda steps up preparations for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Qualifiers against Ethiopia.
Resty Nanziri (East Bengal, India), Fazila Ikwaput (Gokulam Kerala, India), Joanita Ainembabazi (Kickstart FC, India), and Nabisaalu Bridget (Modern Sport, Egypt) arrived at the team’s residential camp at Cranes Paradise Hotel, Kisaasi.
Their arrival strengthens the squad, particularly in attack, where Uganda has been short of options in training.
Head coach Sheryl Botes, who named a 39-player squad last week, emphasized the importance of experienced players setting an example for the younger ones.
“For the experienced players, they have to be role models for the young ones,” Botes said on Monday after the team’s first training session.
The Crested Cranes squad includes five U17 players; Martha Babirye, Doreen Aujat, Shadia Nabirye, Agnes Nabukenya, and Rinah Ariho, who are gaining senior team exposure before returning to the Teen Cranes setup for their upcoming FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers against Kenya.
Uganda will host Ethiopia in the first leg of the WAFCON Qualifiers on February 21 in Kampala before traveling to Addis Ababa for the return fixture on February 26.
The Crested Cranes are aiming for their third WAFCON appearance, having last qualified in 2022.
They narrowly missed out on the 2024 edition after a 3-2 aggregate loss to Algeria.
With training sessions ongoing at Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo, Botes will now look to integrate the foreign-based players into the squad as Uganda fine-tunes its preparations for the crucial fixtures.
