Africa was allocated up to nine direct slots but will be able to challenge for one extra slot through the intercontinental playoff.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has mapped out the pathway for the Uganda Cranes' 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.
Uganda will attempt to qualify for the World Cup for the first time and they were drawn in Group G where they face Algeria, Guinea, Mozambique, Botswana, and Somalia.
The Cranes will open their campaign later this year with two away fixtures against Guinea and Somalia, slated between November 13th and 21st.
This initial test will be crucial as it sets the tone for Uganda's World Cup ambitions.
The Cranes will have home advantage in March 2024 when they host Botswana and Algeria between March 3rd and 11th at the Mandela National Stadium in Namboole.
In June 2025, the Cranes will add more stamps to their passports, first flying to Mozambique and then coming back home to face Guinea, with the games penciled in for June 17th to 25th.
As the qualifiers progress, Uganda will have another opportunity to capitalize on their home advantage, hosting Mozambique and Somalia between September 1st and 9th, 2025.
The campaign will then culminate in two challenging away fixtures in October 2025, as the Cranes battle it out against Botswana and Algeria.
While the team focuses on its World Cup aspirations, there is an immediate hurdle to clear: the final qualifier Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Niger in September.
The Cranes, who are currently third in Group F with four points, must win their upcoming final qualifier and hope for Algeria to defeat Tanzania.
This is their only pathway to qualify for their first AFCON tournament since the 2019 edition in Cairo, Egypt.
Africa qualification pathway explained
CAF introduced a new format for qualification to the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico
Previously, the World Cup comprised 32 teams that ended with the Qatar 2022 finals.
In January 2017, the FIFA Council unanimously decided in favour of expanding the World Cup to a 48-team competition as of the 2026 edition.
The expansion brought about some complexities as FIFA figured out how to allocate the 16 extra slots.
Africa was allocated up to nine direct slots but will be able to challenge for one extra slot through the intercontinental playoff.
First, CAF created nine groups that will accommodate six teams making up the 54 members of the confederation.
The teams will play in a round-robin format, with each honouring ten games; The winners from each group will qualify for the final tournament.
The four best runners-up from the groups will play in a mini-tournament to get the best who will advance to play in the FIFA Intercontinental playoffs.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup finals will be held from November 10th to 18th, 2025.
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