The final 28-man squads for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations are in, and Morocco is set to host the continent’s best.
For the Uganda Cranes, it’s a squad brimming with fresh faces, with only five players carrying previous AFCON experience.
KCCA goalkeeper Charles Lukwago and Villa defender David Owori were dropped from the provisional 30-man squad, leaving coach Paul Joseph Put with a blend of youth and returning warriors.
Denis Onyango remains the heartbeat of the squad. The Mamelodi Sundowns shot-stopper, who retired after Uganda’s AFCON 2021 qualification heartbreak, has made a remarkable comeback.
Though he won’t wear the captain’s armband, his presence in the squad gives the Cranes leadership for a largely inexperienced squad.
Khalid Aucho has the armband. The midfield enforcer played every minute of Uganda’s 2019 AFCON campaign.
His experience will be critical in Morocco, where pressure and intensity will be high from day one.
In defense, Timothy Awany returns, having played in all four games in 2019, while Isaac Muleme provides depth on the flanks, though his AFCON minutes were limited in Egypt.
Goalkeeper Salim Jamal is also among the returning players. He did not get minutes at AFCON in Egypt but he is set to be Cranes’ number one in Morocco.
With only five players having tasted AFCON action, the Cranes will rely on energy, hunger, and tactical discipline.
Morocco 2025 presents an opportunity for this new-look squad to write their own story, but the quartet of veterans will be key in guiding the young guns through the heat of continental football.
