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What has happened to the Uganda vs Senegal tickets?
Uganda’s dream run at the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) PAMOJA 2024 has triggered a frenzy well beyond the touchline. By Thursday, August 21, 2025, online allocations for Saturday’s quarter-final against Senegal were already exhausted, with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) confirming digital-only sales and a per-person purchase cap after complaints of bulk buying and resales at inflated prices. The surge is understandable: Uganda have momentum, home advantage at a fully reopened Mandela National Stadium (Namboole), and a burgeoning belief powered by both recent results and a public pledge of UGX 1.2 billion per win—fueling a team and a nation that now expects to go the distance.
When will the Uganda vs Senegal CHAN game happen? | Match details (official)
- Fixture: Uganda vs Senegal (CHAN 2024 Quarter-final)
- Date & Kick-off: Saturday, August 23, 2025 – 17:00 EAT
- Venue: Mandela National Stadium, Namboole (Kampala)
CAF confirmed the last-eight lineup and exact scheduling, placing Uganda–Senegal under the Namboole lights at 8:00 local time. By 21st August 2025, the Senegal Teranga Lions team had arrived in Uganda, courtesy of Uganda Airlines.
Why demand exploded — and why tickets were capped
Uganda’s LOC made CHAN tickets digital-only and tiered (UGX 20,000 / 40,000 / 60,000) to streamline access and reduce cash touting around venues. But the Cranes’ late-show heroics and the prestige of a knockout tie against the defending champions sent demand sky-high. By August 21, the available online allotment for the quarter-final was marked sold out. In response to complaints about mass purchases, authorities restricted online buys to three tickets per person and launched enforcement against touts and counterfeiters; police say several suspects have already been arrested.
Multiple reports suggest some buyers flipped UGX 10,000–60,000 seats for UGX 40,000–70,000 around Namboole—classic supply-demand arbitrage that the three-ticket rule is meant to blunt. Whether it fully works will be tested again on matchday, but the signal is clear: the organisers want real fans in seats, not middlemen.
What is special about CHAN 2024?
This is the first CHAN co-hosted by three nations (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda), with knockout ties split across the region. Uganda’s reward for surviving an electrifying Group C is a date with the defending champions, Senegal, who advanced from Group D behind Sudan. The winner moves into the semi-finals on Tuesday, August 26, keeping alive a historic tilt at the title and a share of the enhanced prize pool announced for this edition.
Form guide: Uganda’s late-show belief vs Senegal’s defensive steel
- Uganda: The Cranes reached the quarters after a wild 3–3 against South Africa, rescuing the tie in stoppage time in front of a heaving Namboole. Allan Okello has emerged as the tournament’s heartbeat and is joint-top scorer on three goals so far. The attack has grown sharper by the game, and the team’s resilience under pressure has become a defining trait.
- Senegal: The holders are built on control and composure; across the group stage, Senegal conceded just once, tied for the stingiest mark in the field. They aren’t the highest scorers, but they manage moments and squeeze opponents with structure—exactly the profile you expect from reigning champions.
Have these 2 teams ever met before?
- CHAN 2023 (Algeria): Uganda beat Senegal 1–0 in the group stage.
- Friendly, July 24, 2025 (Tanzania): Uganda won 2–1 at Black Rhino Academy—useful psychologically, even if not decisive.
- AFCON 2019 (Cairo): The senior Senegal side edged Uganda 1–0 (Sadio Mané, pen.)—a different competition and player pool, but part of the broader footballing relationship between the two nations.
Preparations and approach
FUFA’s camp messaging has been consistent: keep the tempo high, lean into the crowd, and trust the evolved attacking chemistry around Okello. The staff has stressed focus after the South Africa thriller—eliminate the sloppy phases that invited pressure, but keep the vertical punch that turned a lost cause into knockout football. With home-field advantage and a full week of tactical fine-tuning, Uganda’s plan is to start on the front foot, force transitions, and test Senegal’s low-error back line with repeated entries and set-piece pressure.
Keys to the game
- First goal value: Against a disciplined Senegal, conceding first invites a grind. Uganda’s best path is to make it chaotic early—crowd-driven tempo, early shots, and second-ball aggression.
- Okello vs the block: If Senegal sit in a compact mid-block, Uganda must create interior pockets for Okello and keep runners (wide and weak-side) active to unlock penalties and rebounds—the very moments that saved the South Africa tie.
- Set pieces & discipline: Senegal extract value from structure; Uganda can flip that script with rehearsed dead-ball routines—but must avoid cheap fouls that invite the holders’ game management.
So… who’s favoured?
On paper, Senegal carry the champion’s aura and the best defensive metrics from the groups. But football isn’t played on paper, and Uganda’s form-line, venue, and momentum level the scales. Recent direct meetings (CHAN 2023 and July’s friendly) tilt psychologically toward the Cranes, and a raucous Namboole under lights adds intangible wattage. Call it close to 50–50: Senegal if it’s a low-event, controlled contest; Uganda if it turns into a crowd-fuelled surge with volume in the box and set-piece pressure.
Final word
The right phrasing is the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN)—and Saturday’s quarter-final at Namboole (17:00 EAT, Aug 23) is exactly the kind of game that can swing a tournament. With tickets sold out, a three-per-person cap in force, and authorities cracking down on resales and fakes, the stands will be loud and legitimate. If Uganda channel that energy and manage Senegal’s structure, the path to a first-ever CHAN semi-final is wide open.
