Rogers Mato


Rogers Mato Kassim[2022 African Nations Championship qualification|] is a Ugandan professional footballer who plays for club Heart of Midlothian, on loan from Vardar. He represents the Uganda national team.

Club career

As a youth Mato played for Lweza FC and Maroons FC of the junior league. In 2018 he joined the youth setup of Proline FC of the FUFA Big League. For the 2019–20 season, Mato was promoted to the senior squad, but suffered relegation with the team during the season that was abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He became an important player for the club the following season, leading them to the promotion playoffs before coming short with a loss to Gaddafi FC. In September 2021 it was announced that the player had signed a 4-year contract with 13-time Uganda Premier League champions KCCA FC for an undisclosed fee.
After a year with Şanlıurfaspor of the Turkish First League, Mato moved to Brera Strumica of North Macedonia's First Football League in February 2024. He made his competitive debut for the club on 18 February in a league fixture against FK Sileks.
On 13 January 2026, he signed a pre-contract with Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian, initially joining on loan for the remainder of the 2025–26 season before permanently joining on a three-year deal.

International career

In September 2021 Mato was called up to the senior national team for its 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Rwanda. Two months later he featured for the national side in a practice match against a representative team from the Northern Region. Mato opened the scoring as the national side went on to win 3–1. In January 2022 he was called up again for five friendlies with national sides from Europe and Asia as the Cranes traveled to Turkey, Iraq, and Bahrain. He went on to make his senior debut in the first match against Iceland on 12 January 2022. He started and played eighty minutes in the eventual 1–1 draw.

Career statistics

International

NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.3 September 2022St. Mary's Stadium-Kitende, Entebbe, Uganda3–03–0
2022 African Nations Championship qualification
2.28 March 2023National Stadium, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania1–01–02023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
3.21 November 2023Stade Municipal de Berkane, Berkane, Morocco1–01–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification
4.6 September 2024Orlando Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa2–22–22025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
5.9 June 2025Stade de Marrakech, Marrakech, Morocco1–01–1Friendly
6.5 September 2025Mandela National Stadium, Kampala, Uganda2–04–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification
7.5 September 2025Mandela National Stadium, Kampala, Uganda3–04–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification
8.30 December 2025Fez Stadium, Fez, Morocco1–31–32025 Africa Cup of Nations