Ethiopia, Uganda face tough tests as 2026 AFCON U-17 campaign kicks-off

CECAFA Teams Ethiopia and Uganda will take to the field as the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off on Wednesday in Rabat, Morocco.

The competition will be played in a festival-style competition model with 30 matches to be played at the Mohammed VI Football Complex.

The opening match on Wednesday between hosts Morocco and Tunisia, semi-finals and final will be played at the Stade Moulay Hassan in Rabat.

Ethiopia will face a tough test in a Group A match against Egypt in what promises to be a thriller. Benjamin Ziemer, Ethiopia’s head coach has made it clear that it will be great to have a good start in the competition.

“We have prepared well in Ethiopia and a few days in Morocco and the players are ready for the campaign,” said Ziemer, an American born coach.

Dawit Kassaw Yirdaw who was one of the top scorers in the Zonal qualifiers last last year together with Biyam Abrha will be some of the key Ethiopian players to watch.

Uganda who are not new to this stage will also start their campaign today in a Group B encounter against debut making DR Congo.

The Uganda Cubs will go into the match breathing with some confidence after stopping Mozambique 3-1 and Mali 1-0 in two friendly matches played in Casablanca last week.

“We have prepared very well and the team is looking in shape ahead of our first match. Our major focus is to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup again like the team di last year and later battle for the title,” says Uganda’s head coach Laryea Kingston.

The Uganda Cubs will look to forward Owen Mukisa and instrumental Henry Muhoozi who are expected to play pivotal roles for the team.

The top two teams in each of the four groups earn direct qualification to the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026, while the other two slots are determined via a playoffs. A total of 10 teams will qualify to represent Africa at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026.

Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia are the teams that qualified to represent the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) at the 2026 AFCON U-17.

May 13^th Fixture

Morocco vs Tunisia (A)

Egypt vs Ethiopia (A)

Cote d’Ivoire vs Cameroon (B)

Uganda vs DR Congo (B)