AFCON: Uganda Coach Paul Put Declares Cranes ‘Not Intimidated’ by Super Eagles

Paul Put, the head coach of the Uganda national football team, has confidently stated that Uganda will be fully prepared to compete with the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the upcoming 2026 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

Dependable NG reports that the Cranes, who are set to make their eighth appearance at the tournament, have been drawn into Group C alongside three-time champions Nigeria, Tunisia, and regional rivals Tanzania. With Nigeria and Tunisia, who famously won the tournament on home soil in 2004, widely regarded as the favourites to secure the top two spots in the group, the challenge facing Uganda is formidable.

However, Coach Put, who previously guided Burkina Faso to the final of Africa’s flagship football event in 2013, where they suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Nigeria, expressed that he remains completely unintimidated by the quality of the opposition in their group.

“They (Super Eagles) are a perennial powerhouse. There are threats everywhere from their squad with top talent and European experience,” Put told CAFonline. He maintained a respectful yet defiant tone, adding, “We will respect all of them, but we are not intimidated. We will give a good account of ourselves.” The Cranes are scheduled to kick off their AFCON campaign against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in their first Group C match on December 23.