Rabat—East African neighbors Uganda and Tanzania will meet at the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time when they face off in the group stage tonight at Stade El Barid in Rabat.
Both teams enter the game in search of their first points of the tournament after suffering defeats in their opening matches.
Uganda began their AFCON campaign with a 3–1 loss to Tunisia, while Tanzania were beaten 2–1 by Nigeria in their opening game.
While this will be the first meeting between the two sides at the AFCON finals, Uganda and Tanzania are no strangers to each other. They have met 61 times in all competitions, with Uganda holding the upper hand with 33 wins, compared to 12 for Tanzania and 16 draws.
Their most recent encounters came during qualification for the 2023 AFCON, when both teams secured 1–0 home wins.
Match day! East Africa meets on the continental stage.
Uganda vs Tanzania#TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 pic.twitter.com/Hspm2wO4Ax
— Uganda Cranes (@UgandaCranes) December 27, 2025
Match Details
- Fixture: Uganda vs Tanzania
- Competition: CAF Africa Cup of Nations—Group Stage
- Venue: Stade El Barid—Rabat, Morocco
- Date: Friday, December 27
- Kick-off: 6:30 p.m. local time (17:30 GMT)
Uganda Team News
Uganda face pressure to bounce back after their opening 3–1 defeat to Tunisia, marking their 17th loss in 24 AFCON finals matches.
Despite the result, there were some positives for the Cranes. Denis Omedi’s stoppage-time goal was Uganda’s latest-ever at the AFCON, ending a 376-minute scoring drought in the tournament.
Uganda have historically struggled in second group-stage games. Since the introduction of the group stage in 1968, they have never won their second group match. They have also lost their opening two AFCON games on three previous occasions.
Against Tunisia, Uganda managed just one shot on target and completed 363 passes with 81.2% accuracy. Jordan Obita recorded the most touches and passes in the match, while Rogers Mato won more duels than any other Uganda player.
Uganda Predicted XI (4–3–3): Salim– Kayondo, Sibbick, Torach, Obita– Alhassan, Semakula, Aucho– Mukwala, Mato, Omedi.
Tanzania Team News
Tanzania are also looking to recover after their 2–1 loss to Nigeria, marking their seventh defeat in 10 AFCON matches.
The Taifa Stars are still chasing their first-ever win at the AFCON, becoming only the fourth team to go winless in their first 10 finals matches.
Despite the defeat, Tanzania continued their scoring trend, finding the net once again in the tournament. Charles M’Mombwa, who scored against Nigeria, has now contributed three of Tanzania’s last four goals in all competitions.
Defensively, Tanzania were under heavy pressure, facing 11 shots on target. Goalkeeper Zuberi Lukomo made eight saves, the third-highest tally among goalkeepers in the opening round of AFCON matches.
Historically, Tanzania have struggled in second group-stage matches, with a record of three games, zero wins, one draw, and two losses. Their only draw came in the previous edition.
Tanzania Predicted XI (4–3–3): Foba– Husseini, Mwamnyeto, Kapombe, Hamad– Miroshi, Msanga, M’Mombwa– Msuva, Samata, Allarakhia.
Score Prediction: Uganda 1–1 Tanzania.