Uganda's First Africa Cup of Nations

Uganda made its first appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations on 18 January 1962 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The third edition brought together four teams; Uganda, Ethiopia, Tunisia and the United Arab Republic, represented by Egypt—with the tournament beginning at the semi-final stage. Captained by goalkeeper John Agard, with Samson Yiga as coach and Reverend Polycarp Kakooza as team manager, Uganda faced the defending champions in its opening match. John Bunyenyezi scored in the 16th minute to give Uganda the lead and become the country’s first scorer at the AFCON finals. Egypt responded with two second-half goals to win 2–1. Uganda then lost 3–0 to Tunisia in the third-place match on 20 January, finishing fourth. Although the debut ended without a victory, it established Uganda’s place at the continental finals in the same year that the country gained independence.