Uganda and Algeria are set to face off at the Mandela National Stadium on Monday in a crucial match for their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. Both teams, along with Guinea and Mozambique, are tied on six points in a highly competitive Group G, where every point is vital.
Uganda demonstrated resilience in their recent match against Botswana, securing a narrow 1-0 victory with a 74th-minute goal from Muhammad Shaban. Despite earning the same number of points as the top two teams, Uganda currently sits third in the group due to an inferior goal difference and fewer goals scored.
Under the guidance of Paul Put, Uganda has had a respectable run in 2024, losing only once in four outings. This defeat came against Comoros, where they suffered a 4-0 loss. However, they have also secured two wins and a draw. Uganda began their World Cup qualifying campaign with a disappointing 2-1 loss to Guinea in November but bounced back with a 1-0 victory over a ten-man Somalia in Morocco. They aim to maintain this positive momentum in their crucial encounter on Monday.
This will be the third meeting between Uganda and Algeria. Unfortunately for Uganda, they have lost both previous encounters during the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying stages.
Algeria, under the new management of Vladimir Petkovic, experienced a setback in their first competitive match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. After securing victories over Somalia and Mozambique in their opening fixtures, the Fennec Foxes fell 2-1 to Guinea at home. All three goals in that game were scored by Guineans, with Yasser Balde’s own goal sandwiched between strikes from Morlaye Sylla and Aguibou Camara.
Petkovic, the Bosnian-born Swiss coach who replaced Djamel Belmadi after a disappointing AFCON performance, is under pressure to deliver a win in just his second competitive game in charge.
