AMSTERDAM — More than 750 people turned out at Bijlmersportpark this weekend for the Euro Cranes Tournament, an annual gathering of Ugandan diaspora football teams, as a debuting side from the United States claimed the title in its first appearance.
The U.S. team’s win capped a tournament that also marked the competition’s first expansion beyond Europe. Ten teams took part in total, including sides from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the United Kingdom, along with Greece, which was competing for the first time.
Now in its eighth year, the tournament began in Berlin in 2018 with just five teams. Organizers said this year’s turnout and the U.S. team’s arrival reflect how far the event has grown since then.
Six of Uganda’s ambassadors in Europe attended, underscoring the government’s continued push to engage communities abroad. Ambassador Mirjam Blaak Sow, Uganda’s envoy to Brussels, hosted the event. Ambassador Elizabeth Paula Napeyok, who leads the Uganda mission in Rome and also represents the country at the FAO, WFP and WHO, flagged off Greece’s opening match.
“This tournament is more than a football competition,” Napeyok said. “It is a platform that strengthens the bonds among Ugandans living abroad, promotes friendship, nurtures talent, and reinforces our shared identity as proud Ugandans.”
She thanked the Brussels embassy for organizing the event and encouraged the Greek players to focus on discipline and fair play in their debut outing.
Also present were Ambassador Stephen Mubiru (Berlin), Ambassador Doreen Amule (Paris), Ambassador Margaret M. Otteskov (Copenhagen) and High Commissioner Nimisha Madhvani (London).
The diplomatic turnout comes as Uganda leans further into diaspora engagement as an economic strategy. Ugandans abroad sent home $2.5 billion in remittances in 2025, according to Bank of Uganda data — up from $1.5 billion the year before, and now equivalent to about 3.8 percent of GDP.
The United States is the single largest source of that money, contributing $702 million, or 28 percent of the total.
Germany will host the 2027 edition of the tournament.
