Business is booming in Hoima City as traders cash in on the influx of thousands of football fans who have flocked to the city ahead of today’s Uganda Cranes and Libya 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match at Hoima City Stadium.
The growing number of visitors has created a surge in demand for food, drinks, clothing, transport and accommodation, with traders setting up temporary businesses around the stadium to take advantage of the opportunity. Among those cashing in are vendors selling Uganda Cranes flags, jerseys, T-shirts, caps and calendars, as well as restaurant operators, pork joint owners, bar operators and soft-drink vendors.
Several traders say the anticipated match has already had a positive impact on their businesses, with sales increasing as football fans continue to arrive in the city. Joyce Namutebi, a trader from Nabweru in Kampala, set up a temporary restaurant near the stadium on Monday to tap into the growing business opportunities.
She says the business has performed well as the number of people around the stadium continues to increase.
Rogers Kato, who sells Uganda Cranes T-shirts and calendars, says he has also made good profits after hundreds of fans bought his merchandise. Catherine Kyaligonza, who operates a bar adjacent to the stadium, says customers started arriving much earlier than usual, with some beginning to drink as early as 10 a.m. She says on ordinary days, customers normally start arriving at her bar at around 2 p.m.
Joyce Asiimwe, a soft-drink vendor, says the increasing number of football fans in the city has created new opportunities for traders. The match has also boosted transport business, with boda boda riders reporting increased demand from fans travelling to and from the stadium. Friday Asiimwe, a boda boda rider in Hoima City, says he had made Shs60,000 from transporting football fans to the stadium by the morning. The influx of visitors has also benefited the accommodation sector.
Vincent Wabyona, who owns rental houses in Hoima City, says all his rental units have been occupied by clients who travelled to the city to watch the match. The Uganda Cranes will face Libya at Hoima City Stadium at 7 p.m. today in a 2027 AFCON qualifying fixture. Both teams arrived at Kabalega International Airport in Hoima District on Sunday ahead of the highly anticipated encounter.
Although Uganda has already secured automatic qualification for the 2027 AFCON as one of the host nations alongside Kenya and Tanzania, the Cranes are participating in the qualifiers to maintain competitive readiness ahead of the tournament. The match is also being seen as an important step in the decentralisation of national-team football in Uganda.
It is the first competitive international fixture involving the Uganda Cranes to be played outside the Kampala metropolitan area, apart from matches held under the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) competitions. Hoima City Stadium was constructed by SUMMA as part of Uganda’s preparations to host the continental tournament.
The 20,000-seater multi-purpose stadium is located on 34 acres of land in Kyarwiru Cell, Hoima East Division, and is among the venues selected to host matches during AFCON 2027. The facility was designed to meet international football standards set by FIFA and CAF and is equipped to host major sporting and continental events.
It features VVIP sections, an indoor arena, a swimming pool, modern changing rooms with gyms, volleyball and basketball courts, media conference halls, a hybrid football pitch, a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) room, FIFA and CAF offices, referee rooms, training grounds, a media gallery and parking space for nearly 1,000 vehicles, among other facilities.
The Uganda-Libya encounter is therefore expected to provide an early test of the stadium’s ability to host international football while giving football fans in Bunyoro an opportunity to watch the national team on home ground. Hundreds of football fans from the Bunyoro sub-region and other parts of the country had started flocking to the stadium to secure space ahead of the 7 p.m. kick-off by the time of publishing this story-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
