DR Congo will face Uganda in the first of two friendly internationals in South Africa on Friday, with kick-off scheduled for 14:00 in Kinshasa, 15:00 in South Africa and 15:00 in France.
The match will be played at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium, where the Leopards completed their final training session on Thursday. RTNC is expected to broadcast the fixture, although further details about coverage could be announced in the hours before kick-off.
The two sides are using the end of the international window to prepare after the opening two rounds of the CAN 2027 qualifiers. The Uganda Football Association (FUFA) has confirmed that the Cranes travelled to South Africa for the double-header.
A second meeting between the teams will take place during the same international camp. FUFA initially announced that the matches would be held on 2 and 5 October.
The fixture will give DR Congo an opportunity to assess an Uganda squad undergoing significant change ahead of CAN 2027, which the country will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania.
FUFA says it has compiled a list of more than 200 professional players with links that could make them eligible to represent Uganda. Several new players have already joined the national team.
They include Abdoulaye Sissako, a former France Under-18 and Under-19 international of Malian origin, who qualifies through his grandmother, who was born in Kampala.
Souleyman Diaby, who is of Ivorian origin, is eligible through a maternal grandfather reportedly from Masaka. Gaucho Debohi, also of Ivorian origin, qualifies through a maternal grandmother reportedly born in Majanji. Goalkeeper Akpan Udoh, a former Under-17 world champion with Nigeria, has a grandparent from Busia.
One player in particular is likely to attract attention from the Congolese camp. Arnold Vula, a 27-year-old striker for Beerschot, was born to Congolese parents but now represents Uganda through his paternal grandmother, who was born in Pakwach in the north-west of the country.
Vula made an immediate impact on his Uganda debut, scoring the decisive goal with a header in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Libya. The result gave the Cranes three valuable points in the CAN 2027 qualifying campaign.
Just three days later, he will face the country of his parents in what promises to be a notable occasion for the forward.
Uganda is also preparing to host CAN 2027 alongside Kenya and Tanzania from 19 June to 17 July 2027. The Ugandan authorities say the three main stadiums planned for the tournament will be completed on time.
However, work is not yet finished. At the end of September, Sports Minister Peter Ogwang called for construction to be accelerated at several training grounds after some projects fell behind schedule.
For Sebastien Desabre’s DR Congo side, the immediate priority is to use the two matches against an evolving Uganda team to continue their development and provide playing time for the many new faces in the squad.
