Tunisia - Uganda. Prediction and Match Preview

December 23, 2025. 22:00. Rabat. Olympic Stadium
Group Stage. Group D. Round 1

Tunisia - Uganda

Where to watch: MEGOGO

Injured: None

Tunisia - Uganda: Bookmakers' Odds

Tunisia, a potential opponent of Ukraine at the 2026 World Cup, begins its campaign at the 2025 African Cup of Nations. In Rabat, at the local Olympic Stadium, Tunisia will face Uganda in the first round of Group C. Those two teams will be joined in the group by Nigeria and Tanzania.

Tunisia

Tunisia has only lifted the Africa Cup of Nations once, back in 2004 during a home tournament where they beat this year's hosts, Morocco, in the final. Since that triumph, the Eagles of Carthage have managed to finish fourth in 2019, which was again held in North Africa, this time in Egypt. However, their most recent run has ended at the quarter-final stage, with six such exits. The most recent tournament marked Tunisia's worst performance in modern times; they failed to win a single group stage match. Two draws and one defeat left them in a difficult position, unable to reach the knockout stages.

Qualification for this tournament was also a difficult one. Tunisia missed out on Comoros, having only managed one point in their matches against the island nation. They are just two points ahead of third-placed Gambia. This is not surprising, considering that the qualifying campaign saw three different coaches at the helm, with a permanent boss not arriving until early 2025. This is Sami Trabelsi's second term as Tunisia's head coach. Recall that he was sacked in 2013 after being eliminated in the group stage of the same tournament - now he has a chance to be rehabilitated.

And it is a promising opportunity, considering how Tunisia qualified for the 2026 World Cup. They have come through with ease, dropping points in just one of their ten matches. Their defence has been phenomenal, finishing the campaign with a clean sheet, conceding 22 goals. A friendly draw with Brazil in November has added to their respectability, and they have completed their AFCON preparations with a win over Botswana. Trabelsi's men will also be looking to start the tournament on a winning note. Their last meeting with Uganda was in 2017, a 2-0 friendly win.

Uganda

For Uganda, simply qualifying for a continental competition is a big deal - it has only happened three times this century. Their best moments come in the 20th century: fourth place in 1962 and even a silver in 1978. By modern standards, this is the Cranes' third appearance at AFCON, having missed the previous two. Their last game, in 2019, ended in the round of 16.

To get here, Uganda edged past Congo and South Sudan in qualifying, trailing group leaders South Africa by just one point. Paul Poet, who has been in charge since 2023, has made significant progress. Although they failed to secure their first ever World Cup berth, the 2026 qualifying campaign is one of Uganda's best ever. Six wins from ten games saw them finish higher than all but Algeria, although four defeats meant they missed out on a place in the intercontinental play-offs.

Uganda will now be hoping to improve on their record at the AFCON finals, where the Cranes have only won once in seven matches this century. That lone success came in their opening group game in 2019 against DR Congo. To start strong this time, they will need to end a six-game losing streak against Tunisia. Note that their last official meeting was back in 1999, during the AFCON qualifiers. However, the team's morale is not at its peak, with players boycotting training over unpaid qualification bonuses. It took the intervention of the federation president to sort things out.

Tunisia vs Uganda: Expected Lineups

Both teams enter the first leg without any major injury problems. Tunisia have called up players from top leagues including England, Germany and France.

Tunisia's possible starting lineup:

Dahmen; Meria, Bronn, Valery, Talbi, Abdi; Sassi, Gharbi, Ouannes; Saad, Masturi

Uganda's possible starting lineup:

Onyango; Sebuguzi, Mukundane, Obita, Herbert; Ssemakula, Aucho; Lorensen, Ikpeazu, Okello; Mukwala

Tunisia vs Uganda: Author's Prediction

Africa Cup of Nations matches tend to be low-scoring, and given Tunisia's impeccable defensive record in World Cup qualifying, this match points to a 0-0 win for the favorites.