The Uganda Cranes have officially begun their preparations for the upcoming 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) with a series of non-residential training sessions that kicked off on Monday at the Prisons Grounds in Luzira.
This signifies the initial phase of Uganda’s journey towards the highly anticipated CHAN tournament, which is set to be jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania from August 2 to 30, 2025.
Led by coaches Morley Byekwaso and Fred Muhumuza, the Cranes started their training at 9:00 am, with a focus on establishing early momentum and evaluating the players’ fitness levels in preparation for the upcoming residential camp.
Prior to this training phase, there was a change in the provisional 41-man squad. Seasoned midfielder Paul Mucureezi was brought in to replace James Bogere, who had requested to withdraw from the team. The decision to accept Bogere’s withdrawal opened the door for Mucureezi’s return to national team duty.
CHAN is a tournament exclusively reserved for players competing in their domestic leagues, providing Uganda with a platform to showcase its home-grown talent. Despite making six previous appearances, Uganda has never advanced beyond the group stage, a challenge they are determined to overcome this time around.
Uganda has been placed in Group C alongside Guinea, South Africa, Algeria, and Niger. All matches in this group will be held at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, which will also host the third-place playoff.
The tournament will kick off on August 2 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with the third-place playoff set to take place in Uganda, and the final scheduled for August 30 in Nairobi, Kenya. This marks a significant moment in East African football collaboration.
With the stage set for the upcoming CHAN tournament, the Uganda Cranes are gearing up to make a strong impact and strive for a breakthrough performance in a bid to advance further than ever before in the competition.
