Neighbours Uganda will be hosting their 2023 Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers away from home in Egypt due to a lack of an approved stadium in the country.Uganda is among 25 African countries, including Kenya, who were banned by CAF from staging its competitions for lack of proper facilities.Uganda have chosen Suez Canal Stadium in Ismaila, Egypt to host their next AFCON qualifier against neighbors Tanzania.“All over the world, FAs do not own football stadiums. Many have said we should become the first but building a football stadium is so costly. Building a stadium is not building a toilet,” Hon. @MosesMagogo#TutegeereOmupiira | #HomeOfUgandanSport pic.twitter.com/sgs6XRot7x— FUFA TV (@fufatv1) February 16, 2023 The stadium is currently hosting Uganda Hippos Group B games at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations currently going on in Egypt.The Uganda Cranes will host Tanzania in a Group F match day three of the 2023 Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers next month.CAF announced earlier this month that Uganda was among the 24 countries whose stadiums failed to meet the minimum requirements.##NAJAVA_MECA_7049888##“According to the latest stadium homologation by CAF, Uganda Cranes shall have no stadium in Uganda to host Afcon and World Cup qualifiers,” Eng. Moses Magogo, the Uganda FA (FUFA) president, tweeted earlier in the month.The match is a must-win for the Cranes who perch at the bottom of Group F with only one point. Algeria leads with six, Niger with two while Tanzania has one as well. Uganda will face Tanzania days later in Dar Es Salaam for the reverse leg.Uganda to host its AfricaNations Qualifier (home) games in Egypt .St Mary’s stadium kitende was removed the list of stadia to host CAF games due to poor roads leading to the stadium .Otherwise no taking photos at the airport . pic.twitter.com/bnniA18Hhb— Daraus Bahikire ,MPH 🇺🇬 (@DarausBahikire) February 3, 2023 FUFA had been left with no options after St. Marys Kitande failed the test despite hosting CAF Champions League matches while Namboole Stadium is still under construction.Apart from Tanzania, there was no other option for FUFA to host the game among Uganda’s neighbours. Technically, Uganda could not take the match to the same opponent’s backyard.Magogo had hinted that the federation was weighing options on whether to take the match to Malawi, Zambia, or Egypt.Local and foreign clubs scrambling for Otanga’s signatureFUFA, until recently was in talks with Rwanda to play at the approved Huye Stadium Stadium pending government approval.Suez Canal Authority Stadium was demolished in 2019 and reconstructed from scratch in a period of three years. It was inaugurated on September 8th last year. The facility was constructed at a cost of $26 million.
