Mandela National Stadium is mainly used for
football matches, although other sports such as
athletics are also practised. The stadium had a capacity of 45,202 in 2016 before renovation. and has also been home at points to national league champions,
Uganda Revenue Authority and
Police FC. A committee of the
Ugandan parliament reported in 2015 that the stadium was on the verge of financial collapse, claiming that the stadium had suffered from more than a decade of "mismanagement and wanton abuse" and incurred losses totalling
UGX:3.6 billion. Running the stadium profitably in a
private-public partnership arrangement remains a challenge. The Mandela National Stadium was closed for renovation in 2019 after the outbreak of
COVID-19 after it failed to reach the minimum standards required by the
Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host international matches. In 2020, the stadium was blacklisted from hosting football games due to its substandard condition. The renovation of between 2019 and 2024 cost 97 billion Uganda Shillings. After its renovation, the
Federation Of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) organized test matches from the
Uganda premier League to serve as test events of the stadium before the official opening. The games were played on 1 May 2024 where
BUL FC hosted
Vipers SC, and
KCCA FC hosted
SC Villa which served as a requirement for the
Confederation Of African Football (CAF) to grant the stadium permission to host International Games. A month later, Uganda Cranes returned at Namboole hosting
Botswana in the World Cup qualifiers and
Algeria a week after. At the start of
2024–25 Uganda Premier League Season,
SC Villa registered Mandela National Stadium to serve as their home ground. In September 2025, the stadium was closed down for renovations after hosting the
2024 African Nations Championship. The ongoing improvements include the expansion of the seating capacity to 64,125. Other improvements include an
Olympic-sized swimming pool, an indoor multi-purpose arena, and a fully covered roof, among other facilities. The EPC contractor for these renovations is
Summa Construction Company based in
Turkey, who constructed
Hoima National Stadium. The stadium is expected to re-open in time for the
2027 Africa Cup of Nations, that is planned to be hosted by
Kenya,
Tanzania and Uganda. ==See also==