Uganda vs Madagascar Cancel

Why is Uganda vs Madagascar International Friendly Cancelled?

Saikat Sengupta

Published - Jun 08, 2026, 11:07 AM

2 min

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Why is Uganda vs Madagascar International Friendly Cancelled?

Summary

The primary reason for the cancellation is the rising number of Ebola cases in West Africa.
Uganda are the joint hosts of AFCON 2027
The match was earlier scheduled to take place in Marrakesh Stadium, Morocco

The most anticipated friendly game between Uganda and Madagascar, which was earlier scheduled to take place at Marrakesh Stadium in Morocco, was cancelled. The primary reason for the cancellation of Uganda vs Madagascar is expected to be the rising number of Ebola cases in West Africa. The Ebola outbreak even affected DR Congo's preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026 after their friendly against Denmark and Chile was scheduled to take place behind closed doors.

Uganda national football team are set to be the next host of the AFCON 2027 alongside Kenya and Tanzania, and they were scheduled to lock horns with Tanzania and Madagascar in this international window. In this article, we shall find out how the cancellation of friendly games can adversely affect both teams' preparation for AFCON.

Uganda are the co-host of AFCON 2027

By virtue of hosting the AFCON 2027, the Cranes have already qualified for the AFCON 2027. Their recent performance in AFCON 2027 was pretty underwhelming after they finished bottom of their group after dropping points against Tanzania, Tunisia, and Morocco. Madagascar, on the other hand, pulled one of the biggest upsets in their debut AFCON 2019 campaign when they went on to defeat Nigeria and top the group.

How has the Ebola outbreak affected Football across Africa?

The current Ebola outbreak has spread like wildfire in DR Congo and Uganda. Even previously, AFCON 2015 was moved from Morocco to Equatorial Guinea due to the Ebola outbreak. Even many countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone were forced to play their friendly games and qualifier matches in a neutral venue.

Many domestic leagues also got suspended, and travel restrictions, quarantine measures, and public health advisories affect football and sports in multiple ways. Most importantly, matches also happen behind closed doors, affecting fan engagement. For both Uganda and Madagascar, the Uganda vs Madagascar cancellation is a missed FIFA ranking opportunity in this FIFA international window.