Approximately 59 teams will converge in Mbarara town this weekend for the 2018 edition of COPA Coca-Cola national championships, which will be held from 5th to 19th May.
Hosted by Mbarara High School, the national finals will also crown the 25th anniversary celebrations of the tournament in Uganda.
Over the past 25 years, COPA Coca-Cola has become Uganda’s largest brand-supported grassroots football tournament with notable players such as Farouk Miya, Godfrey Walusimbi, Shaban Muhamad, Khalid Aucho and many others having gone through this tournament to make it to local and international clubs as well as to the Uganda National team. This tournament has cultivated values such as team spirit, friendship, constructive competition and mutual respect in thousands of players in over 2000 schools across the country.
In preparation for the 2018 national finals, all teams will be required to arrive at Mbarara High School on Saturday 5th May, before 5:00pm. Screening of players from the invited teams will start immediately the team arrives and there will be a pre-championship meeting on Sunday, 6th May 2018. Teams have also been advised to travel during day as travel at night poses safety risks to the players and contravenes the Ministry of Education and Sports guidelines of the safety of players.
As part of the 25th anniversary celebrations, Coca-Cola rewarded all the regional winning teams with a brand new TV to enable them stay up to date with the FIFA World Cup that will be played later this year. The beverage giant also cut a cake in each of the regions and pledged to refurbish all the 25 school football pitches that have hosted COPA Coca-Cola national finals since the launch of the tournament 25 years ago.