The Crested Cranes will seek to start the 2022 Women’s African Cup Of Nations (WAFCON) with a perfect run to keep motivated and focused on the big prize.
Uganda will be playing against Senegal in their opening game that will played at Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex at 6:00 pm EAT.
“Senegal is a strong team but we have prepared to take on each team that comes our way,” Crested Cranes head coach George Lutalo said in a press conference.
“Ye the experience might low but the players are ready. I would like to thank FUFA for empowering women football in Uganda and the fruits are here for us to see,” he added.
“We are in good shape and am glad to say the team is injury-free. We know what is required of us and we shall do all it takes to achieve it.”
“We have done a lot of preparations and believe it is now the perfect time to execute the plan. We call upon all Ugandans to rally behind the girls so that they come out as victors,” he concluded.
Crested Cranes have put up a stunning show starting with clinching the CECAFA region championship before they saw off Zambia in a 5-0 victory.
This and more have given the fans hope that this is their year where they can turn around the past and break the jinx to achieve reasonably in the ongoing tournament.
A look at Uganda’s Groupmates
Morocco is the host of the tournament but this will be the third appearance after 1998 and 2000 which means they can be a hungry and yearning side.
On all the two occasions, the Atlas Lioness have never gone beyond the group making it the first assignment of the ongoing tournament.
Ghizlane Chebbak’s we’ll taken freekick was enough to hand the hosts three points in the opening game against Burkinabe.
Senegal is the other side in Group A and this will be their third time showing up at the continental stage.
They come back having been absent for over 10 years. Mame Moussa Cisse’s charges will have a lot to do with Uganda as the first block of the journey.
Burkina Faso will be playing at this stage for the first time, making it the fourth debutant team alongside Botswana, Burundi and Togo.
Burkinabe have had a good shift in the growth of the game having eliminated Benin and Guinea Bissau to quality for the continental show.
Burkina Faso started the tourney with a 0-1 loss against Morocco and will seek to make amends in the games ahead.
However, the overall title contenders are Nigeria which has won this title 11 times (1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2018)