Uganda’s campaign at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations came to a disappointing end on Tuesday night following a 3–1 loss to Nigeria in their final Group C match played in Fes, Morocco.
Needing a positive result to keep faint qualification hopes alive, the Cranes instead found themselves undone by a disciplined Nigerian side that maintained their perfect record at the tournament. Despite Nigeria having already secured passage to the Round of 16 and fielding a rotated squad, Uganda struggled to impose themselves for large spells of the contest.
The Super Eagles took the lead in the first half through Paul Onuachu, who capitalised on a defensive lapse to give Nigeria control of the match. Uganda’s situation worsened shortly after the break when defender Salim Magoola was shown a straight red card in the 56th minute for a reckless challenge, leaving the Cranes to battle on with 10 men.
Nigeria made their numerical advantage count, with Raphael Onyedika striking twice in the second half to effectively seal the result. His goals came in the 62nd and 67th minutes, extinguishing any realistic hopes of a Uganda comeback.
Uganda did manage to respond late on, with Rogers Mato pulling one back in the 75th minute after a well-worked move, but the goal proved only a consolation as Nigeria closed out the game comfortably.
The defeat saw Uganda finish bottom of Group C with one point from three matches, exiting the tournament at the group stage. It marks another early AFCON exit for the Cranes, who will now turn their attention to rebuilding and preparing for upcoming World Cup qualifiers and regional competitions.
While the result underlined the gap between Uganda and Africa’s top sides, the tournament also offered valuable exposure for several young players, something head coach Paul Put will hope to build on as the national team looks ahead to its next competitive engagements.
