The draw was conducted Tuesday in Cairo, placing the Cranes in a competitive group ahead of the continental tournament, which Uganda will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania from June 19 to July 17, 2027, News.az reports.
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Uganda head coach Paul Put welcomed the draw, saying the qualifiers would offer valuable competitive experience even though the Cranes have already secured automatic qualification for the finals as co-hosts.
“Playing in the qualifiers with teams like Tunisia, who will play in the FIFA World Cup, Libya and Botswana will be a great opportunity,” Put told Xinhua.
Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are guaranteed places at the finals, but will still take part in qualifying. Only one additional team will qualify from any group containing one of the three host nations.
The qualifiers, featuring 48 teams divided into 12 groups, will begin in September 2026. The top two teams from each group will advance to the finals.
The other teams from the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations taking part in the qualifiers are Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda and Eritrea.
