Uganda Cranes head coach Paul Put has announced a provisional squad of 26 players for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Uganda is set to face Mozambique on March 20 in Egypt, followed by a home match against Guinea on March 25.
In preparation for these crucial games, Put, on Monday, revealed the provisional summoned squad.
Notably absent from the selection are former Vipers SC midfielder Bobosi Byaruhanga, who recently transferred to Oakland Roots SC from Austin 11, and defender Elio Capradossi, who currently plays for Italian Serie B club AC Cittadella.
Put stated that the team will depart with local players on March 16, while those based abroad will join them on March 18 for training.
“We have players who are playing outside the country on the 16th of March, they can only be traveling on the 17th of March. On the 18th March they can be in training,” Put explained.
As the team approaches these matches, Put is relying on the Cranes’ previous performances that secured their place in the AFCON tournament in Morocco.
“I think what we have to do is focus on our mentality and it’s what we have been doing so far. We should always be ready to play the best teams in Africa,” he said.
Currently, Uganda sits in 5th place in Group G of the qualifiers with six points, three points behind leaders Algeria, who have nine points.
Uganda has played four matches in Group G, winning two and losing two.
The African qualifiers will take place in two rounds. The first round will feature a group stage consisting of nine groups, each with six teams.
Each team will play two matches, home and away, against every opponent. The top team from each group will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The World Cup 2026 will be hosted by Canada, Mexico, and USA, and will feature 48 teams.
Here is the list of the summoned Cranes team:
Goalkeepers
Watenga Isma, Golden Arrows FC (South Africa), Alionzi Nafian, Defence Forces FC (Ethiopia) and Mutakubwa Joel, BUL FC (Uganda).
Defenders
Bwomono Elvis, St. Mirren FC (Scotland), Kizito Gavin, KCCA FC (Uganda), Mugabi Bevis, Anorthosis Famagusta FC (Cyprus), Awany Timothy, FC Ashdod (Israel), Sibbick Toby, Wigan Athletic FC (England), Torach Rogers, Vipers SC (Uganda), Kayondo Abdu Aziizi, FC Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic) and Muleme Isaac, FK Viktoria Zizkov (Czech Republic)
Midfielders
Ssekiganda Ronald, SC Villa (Uganda), Semakula Kenneth, Club Africaine (Tunisia), Aucho Khalid, Young Africans SC (Tanzania), Ssebagala Enock, NEC FC (Uganda), Watambala Abdu Karim, Vipers SC (Uganda), Allan Okello, Vipers SC (Uganda) and Mutyba Travis, Girondins Bordeaux (France)
Forwards
Omedi Denis, APR FC (Rwanda), Kiwanuka Hakim, APR FC (Rwanda), Ssemugabi Jude, Kitara FC (Uganda), Mato Rogers, FK Vardar (North Macedonia), Mukwala Steven, Simba FC (Tanzania), Muhammad Shaban, Al Anwar Al Abyar SC (Libya), Kabuye Calvin, Mjaliby AIF (Sweden) and Kakande Patrick, SC Villa (Uganda).
