World Cup is our target - Wasswa

Kampala. Uganda might have never won any major continental soccer event, but the Cranes have come picking their pieces and counting their own doses of achievements.
An unprecedented 14 Cecafa titles - the tournament seemingly struggling for relevance after a no-show last year notwithstanding -, four successive Africa Nations Championship (Chan) appearances, and ending a four-decade absence from Nations Cup all show some forward movement.
Of course the 1978 heights – when Uganda lost 2-0 to hosts Ghana in the final – are yet to be reached again, making the 2017 Afcon finals feat pale in comparison with Phillip Omondi and company’s exploits 40 years ago.
But that the Cranes ended that wait while also making inroads at the 2018 Fifa World Cup Russia has the country dreaming. No wonder versatile Hassan Wasswa, part of the team that represented Uganda in Gabon and now the World Cup qualification, believes that after ending the Nations Cup jinx, the only way is up.
“Next in line has to be the World Cup,” said a confident Wasswa, who plies his trade at Njimeh in Lebanon but has been here for some months now.
“We have the trust in ourselves and believe me; we shall do it come 31st August against Egypt.”
Uganda meet the Pharaohs next Thursday knowing that anything but victory or avoiding defeat could end their near-fairy-tale start in which they drew with Ghana away and beat Congo in Kampala to enter Match Day Three trailing Egypt by just two points.
The two sides meet with memories of Gabon, where the Cranes held their forte until the 89th minute when Abdallah El-Said benefitted from Mohamed Salah’s wit to steal the game 1-0. “We have unfinished business after the 1-0 slender loss in Gabon,” insisted Wasswa, “We were just unlucky that day but with some luck on our side, and the hard work we are putting in, we shall do it.”
Majority of Uganda’s foreign-based players are expected to start trickling in this weekend, while Egypt are expected in the country early next.