Uganda vs Gambia

Monday’s international friendly between Uganda and Gambia will give both teams the chance to get their first win, as they had previously drawn in their only matchup.

The Cranes come into this match after their 3-0 loss to Cameroon, so they will try to set off in a positive direction and return to winning.

Uganda’s results in the last three games in all competitions have seen them lose twice, after defeats against Cameroon and Mozambique and a 1-0 win over Guinea.

Although there have been some challenges lately, the Cranes have largely performed well over the past year, getting seven wins from their previous 11 matches and only losing Friday’s encounter as their third in a month.

This way of playing allowed them to book their Africa Cup of Nations spot in Morocco, and they are fourth in their World Cup qualifying group, three points back from second with four more matches on the horizon.

Friendly fixtures have not brought much success to the Uganda team, who have only won once in their last 11, that one success was achieved against Kuwait in January this year, and they aim to improve their record with a win against the Scorpions.

The team will aim to impress the crowd as coach Paul Put is out with an illness and his assistant has to lead the team against Chad.

Gambia finally snapped their six-match winless streak in regular time with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Equatorial Guinea on Friday, thanks to a clinical double from Adama Sidibeh. The win couldn’t have come at a better time, giving the Scorpions a much-needed confidence boost ahead of their next challenge.

Their only other recent triumph was a penalty shootout win against Gabon in a CHAN qualifier—though their journey ended in the next round against Algeria.

It’s been a tough year for Gambia. After back-to-back AFCON appearances, they missed out on qualification for the upcoming tournament. Their World Cup qualifying campaign hasn’t fared much better, with just four points from six matches leaving them fifth in their group.

Head coach Johnny McKinstry knows success—he previously led Uganda to an impressive 67% win rate during his 18-month stint (2019–2021), the best record for any Cranes manager in 15 years. But replicating that form with Gambia has proven difficult. So far, he’s secured just five wins in 15 matches and is still searching for his first consecutive victories with the team.