Hoima City Stadium is preparing for its biggest football assignment yet when Uganda Cranes host Libya in an AFCON 2027 qualifier.
The Group H encounter is scheduled for September 29 at 7pm East African Time, five days after Uganda visit Tunisia.
Although FUFA and CAF have not publicly attached a stadium to the fixture, Sports Minister Peter Ogwang previously confirmed Hoima as the venue.
Ogwang said in August that Uganda would face Libya at the newly-built stadium, describing the fixture as Hoima’s first Cranes international.
Media accreditation arrangements for the fixture have since started, strengthening expectations that international football will return to Hoima later this month.
The match would represent another important operational test for a stadium constructed principally around Uganda’s preparations to co-host AFCON 2027.
Hoima City Stadium has already experienced continental club football after Kitara faced Mogadishu City in the CAF Confederation Cup on September 6.
Kitara, officially listed as the away side, recovered from behind to defeat Mogadishu City 2-1 through Jimmy Kalema’s first-half brace.
Club president Deo Kasozi later revealed that 15,061 tickets were sold from the 17,000 supporters CAF permitted for that encounter.
Kitara will return to the same venue for Saturday’s second leg before Hoima prepares for another significant increase in operational responsibility.
A senior national-team qualifier brings demands covering security, media operations, team movements, television production, accreditation, hospitality and spectator management.
Those areas are particularly relevant because earlier CAF inspections identified concerns involving crowd movement and separation between media, VIP and spectator routes.
CAF also requested adjustments concerning technical areas, dressing rooms, team-bus parking and working space before full international approval could be secured.
The latest Uganda Local Organising Committee update said approximately 95 percent of CAF-recommended improvements at Hoima had been completed by September.
The outstanding work included a pedestrian bridge connecting VVIP parking directly with the stadium’s hospitality areas, according to the September 2 update.
The 20,000-seat stadium was constructed as one of Uganda’s principal competition venues for AFCON 2027 alongside Namboole and Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium.
Namboole remains under extensive remodelling, with the Local Organising Committee maintaining December 31 as the target for completing those works.
That leaves Hoima with an opportunity to demonstrate that Uganda already possesses a functioning venue capable of handling competitive senior international football.
Uganda automatically qualify for AFCON 2027 as co-hosts, making these qualifiers part competition and part preparation for next year’s tournament.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Denis Onyango – Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), David Lukwago – SC Villa (Uganda) and Hannington Ssebwalunyo – NEC FC (Uganda).
Defenders: Toby Sibbick – Burton Albion FC (England), Jonathan Odongo – UPPC FC (Uganda), Rogers Torach – CS Constantine (Algeria), Aziizi Kayondo – FC Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic), Herbert Achayi – KCCA FC (Uganda), Herbert Bockhorn – FC Magdeburg (Germany), Nathan Asiimwe – Salford City FC (England), Geofrey Lubanga Kene – SC Villa (Uganda), Hillary Mukundane – Vipers SC (Uganda) and Gavin Kizito – Nairobi United FC (Kenya).
Midfielders: Baba Alhassan – Mardin 1996 Spor (Turkey), Noble Okello – Lexington SC (USA), Kenneth Semakula – Al Ittihad Alexandria Club (Egypt), Allan Oyirwoth – Dunfermline FC (Scotland) and Joseph Seremba – Nairobi United FC (Kenya).
Forwards: Allan Okello – AS FAR (Morocco), James Bogere – AGF (Denmark), Travis Mutyaba – CS Sfaxien (Tunisia), Denis Omedi – Gor Mahia FC (Kenya), Rogers Mato – Hearts FC (Scotland), Hassan Mubiru – Azam FC (Tanzania), Sadam Masereka – Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (USA), Steven Mukwala – Al Nasr SC (Libya), Richard Basangwa – NEC FC (Uganda) and Frank Ssebufu – SC Villa (Uganda).