For 64 years and six meetings, Tunisia had been one opponent Uganda Cranes simply could not find a way past.
That sequence finally ended in Radès on Thursday night as Rogers Mato struck a second-half equaliser to earn Uganda a 1-1 draw in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The result was more than an encouraging away point for Paul Put’s side ahead of next year’s tournament on home soil.
It was Uganda’s first recorded point against Tunisia at senior international level, ending a sequence of six consecutive defeats stretching back to 1962.
Before Thursday’s meeting, Uganda had played Tunisia six times, losing every match while scoring only 2 goals and conceding 19.
The sequence began with a 3-0 defeat during the third-place play-off at the 1962 Africa Cup of Nations in Ethiopia.
Tunisia then won 3-1 when the countries met at the 1978 AFCON before inflicting Uganda’s heaviest defeat in the fixture, a 6-0 qualifier loss in February 1999.
The Carthage Eagles completed a 2-0 victory in Kampala later that year before another 2-0 win in a 2017 friendly.
Most recently, Tunisia defeated Uganda 3-1 at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco on December 23.
Nine months later, Uganda returned to face Tunisia carrying another opportunity to measure their progress against one of Africa’s established football nations.
The early signs suggested the historical pattern might continue when Adem Arous gave Tunisia the lead after only 12 minutes in Radès.
Uganda survived the difficult opening period and remained within touching distance before becoming more adventurous following the interval.
Their reward arrived in the 68th minute when Mato struck from distance to bring the Cranes level and change the complexion of the contest.
Tunisia pushed for a winner during the closing stages, but Uganda protected the point to finally end their losing sequence against the Carthage Eagles.
For Put, the significance extends beyond rewriting Uganda’s head-to-head record against Tunisia.
Uganda have already qualified for AFCON 2027 as co-hosts alongside Kenya and Tanzania, making the qualification campaign an important competitive testing ground before the finals.
The Radès result also offered another measure of Uganda’s progress as Put continues preparing his squad for the tournament.
It represented a significant turnaround from Uganda’s previous meeting with Tunisia, when the Cranes conceded three times during their AFCON defeat in Morocco.
Mato, now playing for Hearts in Scotland, has increasingly become an important attacking option within Put’s evolving Cranes side.
His goal in Radès will occupy a notable place in Uganda’s history against Tunisia because it delivered something six previous generations of Cranes teams had failed to achieve.
Uganda will have another opportunity to build on that result when they host Libya at Hoima City Stadium on Tuesday, September 29.
The match, scheduled for 7:00pm, will be Uganda’s second Group H fixture and the Cranes’ first international at the newly built Hoima venue.
After 64 years of defeats against Tunisia, the opening match of this qualifying campaign has already produced a small piece of Cranes history.