KAMPALA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Uganda will play in a three nations' soccer tournament in Niger as a buildup to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualification matches slated for later this year.

The Ugandan football federation on Wednesday said the national team will face the Central African Republic in the opening match on May 30 before they face hosts Niger on June 2.

Uganda head coach Sebastien Desabre told reporters that he wants his players to have several competitive matches before the qualifiers slated for September and October 2018.

Ahmed Hussein, the federation's communication manager, said the team will start training this weekend.

Uganda kicked off their 2019 AFCON qualifying campaign with a vital 1-0 Group L away win to Cape Verde last year. They will host Tanzania in Setember and face Lesotho in October. Enditem