Captain Khalid Aucho, a midfielder with 77 caps, will play his final match for Uganda in front of his home crowd on Saturday 14 November in Hoima, against Botswana, in qualifying for AFCON 2027.
Khalid Aucho, who announced his international retirement on 12 October 2026, will get the chance to say goodbye to the Ugandan public when Botswana visit Hoima City Stadium on Saturday 14 November 2026, in qualifying for AFCON 2027, reports Africa Top Sports. The Cranes captain will make his last appearance in front of his own fans there, thirteen years after his debut.
The midfielder made his international debut on 30 November 2013 and has 77 caps, including captaining his country. He grew up in Bugembe, where he worked at the market-slaughterhouse.
A privilege and a childhood at the slaughterhouse
Aucho accompanied his decision with a message in which the shirt holds a special place: “Wearing the black, yellow and red shirt has been the greatest privilege,” he told Africa Top Sports. Behind the national colours, the man recalls where he comes from: “As a child, working at the Bugembe market slaughterhouse, my dream was simple: to hear our national anthem ring out on the biggest stages of world football.”
His international career coincided with the end of Uganda’s 38-year wait to qualify for AFCON, a competition he played in three times as national team captain.
Tribute to the coaches
Before turning the page, the midfielder was keen to salute those who managed him. He names in particular the late Fred Kajoba, Milutin “Micho” Sredojević, Sébastien Desabre, Johnathan McKinstry and Paul Put, according to Africa Top Sports.
The captain does not leave the Cranes without a word about what comes next. “It is now time for a new generation of heroes to rise, carry the flag and write their own story,” he said. He says he is confident in that new generation and promises to remain committed to Ugandan football.
Hoima, the final appointment
The match on 14 November against Botswana will therefore take on a special complexion: it will mark Aucho’s last appearance for the Cranes, in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers, on a pitch near where he grew up in his childhood.
The playing time planned for the captain in that match is not known at this stage.