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AFCON 2025: Facing Nigeria Was a Tall Order – Uganda Coach Paul Put Admits After Super Eagles Defeat
Uganda head coach Paul Put has conceded that coming up against Nigeria at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) was always going to be a daunting challenge for his side, following their 3–1 defeat to Nigeria.
The loss brought an end to the Cranes’ hopes of qualifying for the round of 16, with Put admitting that Super Eagle’s pedigree, quality and experience proved too much for his relatively inexperienced squad.
Speaking after the Group C encounter, the Belgian tactician revealed that Uganda’s qualification fate should not have depended on their final game against the three-time African champions.
“I think we shouldn’t have come looking for qualification facing Nigeria,” Put said.
“We had the opportunity against Tanzania to qualify for the round of 16. If we had won that game, we wouldn’t have had the problem of facing Nigeria.”
Uganda were held to a 1–1 draw by Tanzania in their previous group match, a result that left them needing a positive outcome against Nigeria to progress. That scenario, according to Put, placed enormous pressure on his players.
“We were under pressure and you can’t blame the players because they don’t have the experience, so they were under pressure,” he explained.
Put also paid tribute to the Super Eagles, describing them as one of the strongest teams at the tournament.
“It’s always difficult facing Nigeria, who have a very good team,” he added. “I don’t think we lost our qualification ticket to Nigeria; I think we lost our qualification ticket to Tanzania.”
Nigeria’s 3–1 victory ensured they finished the group stage with a perfect record, while Uganda exited the competition at the group phase, bringing their AFCON 2025 campaign to an early end.
