Boosting of the award winning best goal keeper on the African continent, Denis Onyango, who doubles as the country’s captain, Uganda has a very proud football tradition, and for the most part, the public loves the sport as much as people do anywhere else in the world.
Though Uganda is often not reckoned as one of the most remarkable African football nations next to the likes of Nigeria, Ghana, and a few other nations that have had significant World Cup success, the country is steadily picking up in the sport and on international attention.
Currently, football is actually generating more attention than usual due to Uganda’s strong performance at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations 2019 in Egypt and having topped Lesotho, Tanzania, and Cape Verde with relative ease earlier this year to qualify for the tournament.
Even if it might not be readily ostensible to some internationals, football is Uganda’s favorite sport. There is more passion and love for the game than for any other sport. This tends to show through when you make an effort to engage with the local football culture.
Due to the country’s abiding love of football, watching football live can be one of the most thrilling things you do when traveling to or through Uganda. There are two prime options for catching the sport at the professional level.
The national team
The Ugandan National Team, as mentioned, is a very competitive one of late, keen on moving into the upper stratum of African football. The team’s matches can be tough tickets, but you can at least look into seeing them at their home venue, the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala. It’s a fairly large stadium, with a capacity just under 50,000, and it’s been all the more appealing following a 2010 airtel funded facelift.
The Uganda Premier League
More so, the Uganda Premier League has been the top division of professional football in the country over the years. Comprising of 16 teams, it’s a full league with teams from all over Uganda.
Games are played across different stadiums depending on the home teams. Although some of the stadiums may not look much adorned and local professional clubs not known world over, football is a worthy aspect of Ugandan tourism. There are in fact several reasons to include it as something enjoyable to try during your visit.
Football being indeed most Ugandans’ favorite sport, people do attend the major matches in person. This means that there can be a very exciting atmosphere for the right match. Thus adds a cultural component to what would otherwise be just a sporting experience.
However, watching a match live requires a bit of advance planning. It’s worth it though, for all of the reasons mentioned above as well as for the simple reason that football is almost always fun!
About Guide2Uganda
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