The Uganda Cranes are set to play their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches at the newly constructed Hoima City Stadium, marking the first time the national football team will use the venue for a competitive international fixture.
The development was announced by Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) President Moses Magogo during a two-day inspection tour of Hoima City Stadium and Kabalega International Airport.
The visit was aimed at assessing the stadium’s readiness to host Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualifier matches. Magogo and his team inspected key facilities, including the playing surface, dressing rooms, floodlights, media facilities, spectator areas and access routes to ensure they meet CAF requirements.
Magogo praised the government’s investment in the stadium and expressed confidence that Hoima is ready to become the new home of the Uganda Cranes for the upcoming qualifiers.
“The government has done a great job here in Hoima. We shall align with all key stakeholders because we have a dream to host all our qualifiers here in Hoima,” he said.
He explained that the infrastructure standards required to host AFCON qualifying matches are lower than those needed to stage the final tournament. This gives Uganda a realistic opportunity to use Hoima City Stadium for the qualifiers while also serving as a test run ahead of the 2027 AFCON finals.
Hosting the qualifiers in Hoima is expected to help organisers evaluate the stadium’s operations, logistics and match-day experience before Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania jointly host the continental tournament in 2027.
Although the three East African nations have already secured automatic qualification for AFCON 2027 as co-hosts, they will still take part in the qualification campaign, which begins in September, to maintain their competitiveness and prepare for the tournament.
Uganda has been drawn in Group G alongside Tunisia, Libya and Botswana.
