More than 750 people turned out at Bijlmersportpark for the event, which brought together ten teams from across Europe and, for the first time, the United States — which went on to win the title in its debut appearance. Greece also competed for the first time, extending a tournament that began in Berlin in 2018 with just five teams.
For Uganda's missions, the gathering has become less a single embassy's event than a shared undertaking. Ambassador Mirjam Blaak Sow, Uganda's envoy to Brussels, hosted this year's edition, welcoming fellow ambassadors who travelled in from across the continent.
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 on behalf of the group.
"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."
Napeyok thanked the Brussels embassy for its hospitality and organisation, and credited the collective effort of missions across Europe for sustaining the tournament's growth. She encouraged all players, including Greece's debutants, to show discipline and fair play both on and off the pitch, and to carry themselves as ambassadors of Uganda in their own right.
Also present were Ambassador Stephen Mubiru (Berlin), Ambassador Doreen Amule (Paris), Ambassador Margaret M. Otteskov (Copenhagen) and High Commissioner Nimisha Madhvani (London) — a turnout organisers say reflects how central diaspora engagement has become across Uganda's missions, not just in one capital.
Beyond the football, officials pointed to the weekend as part of a wider effort to keep diaspora communities connected to home, at a time when Ugandans abroad are playing a growing role in the country's economy.
Remittances from the diaspora reached $2.5 billion in 2025, according to Bank of Uganda data, with the United States — now represented on the pitch for the first time — the single largest source of that money.
The tournament concluded Sunday with the US team's win, a result organisers linked to the diaspora's expanding reach. Germany will host the 2027 edition, continuing a rotation that has, since 2018, carried the tournament — and Uganda's missions with it — across the continent.