Crested Cranes begin Olympic qualifier campaign against Zambia

2028 CAF Women’s Olympic Qualifiers

Thursday (Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo)

First Leg
Uganda vs Zambia 4pm

Tuesday 13 (Lusaka, Zambia)

Return Leg
Zambia v Uganda

Laki Otandeka has called on Ugandan fans to fill Hamz Stadium, Nakivubo, when the Crested Cranes host Zambia in the first leg of the 2028 CAF Women's Olympic qualifiers on Thursday.

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has confirmed free entry as Uganda looks to gain an advantage before the return leg in Lusaka next Tuesday.

"We are excited about the game and ready to make our country proud. I call upon the fans to come and support us in big numbers. Your support means a lot to us," Otandeka said.

"It feels good to be back after five years. The first days have been nice. The girls are very welcoming and the coach is very demanding in a good way. We have good expectations from ourselves," she said.

Otandeka joined Puerto Rican club Coamo FC recently and scored three goals in her first two matches. She previously played for Doncaster Rovers Belles in England and MFA Žalgiris-MRU in Lithuania.

Her return adds experience to a squad with eight foreign-based players. Five of them, including goalkeeper Vanessa Edith Karungi (Brøndby IF Women), Shadia Nankya (HAC Féminines), Fazila Ikwaput (East Bengal WFC), Sylvia Kabene (Mġarr United Women) and Otandeka, joined camp on Monday.

They joined Ruth Aturo and Zainah Nandede of Simba Queens and Joan Nabirye of Yanga Princess. The squad also has 20 locally based players from clubs and schools.

The Zambia tie is the first major assignment for new coach Asefa Firew Hailegebreal, appointed by FUFA on a two-year contract following the departure of Sheryl Ulanda Botes.

The Ethiopian will oversee the senior team, Queen Cranes U20 and Teen Cranes U17. He returned after two years at Kampala Queens, now KCCA Women, where he won the FUFA Women Super League and FUFA Women's Cup. He previously coached Ethiopia's senior and junior women's teams.

Botes, appointed in November 2023, guided the Teen Cranes to the CECAFA U17 Women's Championship titles and the Queen Cranes to bronze at the 2024 African Games.

The senior team, however, had mixed results at the 2025 CECAFA Senior Women's Championship, beating South Sudan 5-0 but losing to Burundi, Kenya and eventual champions Tanzania.

Uganda must also learn from the previous Olympic qualifiers, when it beat Cameroon 2-0 at home but lost 3-0 after extra time in the return leg and was eliminated.

"Now we have to focus on Zambia and take the tie one game at a time. Progressing from this tie will take the Crested Cranes one step closer to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games," Otandeka added.

Uganda has won both previous meetings with Zambia, beating them 1-0 at the 2018 COSAFA Championship through Tracy Akiror and 5-0 in a build-up match ahead of the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.

Zambia, however, have qualified for the last two Olympic Games.

The winner on aggregate will face either Ghana or the winner between Mauritius and Djibouti in the third round.

The 2028 African Olympic qualifiers feature 35 teams in a five-round, home-and-away knockout competition. Uganda and Zambia entered at the second round, with the two final winners earning Africa's places at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

The Crested Cranes' preparations have also paused the FUFA Women's Super League, which resumes on October 17.