The Uganda Cubs have made a winning start in the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) CECAFA qualifiers.

Coach Laryea Kingston’s side humbled Burundi 8-0 in their opening Group B match played on Saturday at the Kigali Pele Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda.

Arnold Kayemba put Uganda ahead with a well headed goal after 19 minutes. Two minutes later he was on the score sheet again giving the Burundi goalkeeper Cedrick Niyukuri not chance from close range.

The Burundi team tried to push forward to try in search of goals, but skipper Elvis Irakoze had his attempts blocked. Arafat Ibanda and and Nicholas Kawooya netted two more goals for the Cubs for the first half to end 4-0.

Substitute Sebastian Fisher got his name on the score sheet after 73 minutes, while Junior Ofoyrworth made it 6-0 for Uganda three minutes later.

The Scotland based Fisher added two more goals to record his first hat-trick on his debut for Uganda.

“I am very happy with the win and the many goals the boys scored. We need to keep focused and prepare for our next match against Ethiopia,” said Uganda’s coach Kingston.

Tanzania was set to face Kenya in a Group C tie, while hosts  Rwanda battle South Sudan in a Group A match in the last match of Day 1.

The 2027 TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) CECAFA qualifiers is set to kick-off on October 10^th at the Kigali Pele Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda.

Nine teams will tussle it out to try and secure the three slots to qualify for the finals next year.

Following the withdrawal of Djibouti, CECAFA conducted a mini draw on Friday night at the Rwanda Football Federation (FERWAFA) headquarters.

The mini draw saw three teams in Group A all re-drawn to fill one place in Group C. Somalia was drawn to join Tanzania and Kenya in Group C.

“We are happy that finally a mini-draw has been conducted and each of the three groups will have three teams each. The best team in each group with qualify for the semi-final stage, while the best second placed team from any of the three groups will also join in the semis,” said Yusuf Mossi, the CECAFA Competitions Manager.

The opening match of the Zonal qualifier will see Uganda face Burundi in a Group B match (1pm), while the second match will see Tanzania battle Kenya in a Group C tie (4pm).

Hosts Rwanda will face off against South Sudan in a Group A match in the last match of Day 1 at 7pm (local time).

Groups

A: Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan

B: Uganda, Ethiopia, Burundi

C: Tanzania, Somalia, Kenya

The head coach of the Serengeti Boys, Elieneza Nsanganzelu has made it clear that he has the belief that the can win the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.

Tanzania will be up against Senegal in the AFCON U-17 final on Tuesday at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.

After topping the group, ejecting Algeria at the quarter final stage and seeing off Egypt in the semis, the Serengeti Boys are rearing to go all the way.

“We have been playing well since the tournament started and we have the confidence that we can win the trophy and take it back home,” says Nsanganzelu.

The coach however insists that his players must remain calm, follow their strategy and believe they can bring the trophy home.

The coach maintained that this is a final and the atmosphere is very different. “My players must play as a team and fight from the start to the end to carry the Tanzanian flag high,” added Nsanganzelu.

To reach the final hurdle Tanzania beat Mozambique and Angola by the same 3-0 scoreline, and went on to suffer a 2-1 defeat to Mali in Group C.

At the quarter final stage Tanzanian drew 3-3 with Algeria and came out top in penalty shoot-outs winning 4-3. Against Egypt they again won 4-3 in penalties after a 0-0 draw at the semi final stage.

Besides playing in the final of the AFCON U-17, Tanzania and Uganda from the CECAFA Zone have also booked slots in the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026.

It is kick-off Day today in the CECAFA Zonal qualifiers of the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Ethiopia.

The 2023 Zonal champions Somalia will take to the field first against South Sudan in a Group A match at the Abebe Bika Stadium in Addis Ababa.

Daadir Amin Ali, Somalia’s head coach has made it clear that they have the confidence to win the opening match against South Sudan. “We have prepared well and call upon Ethiopians to come and watch good Football,” added Ali.

But the head coach Mawien Deng Ajiing has said his team will be up to the task to have a good start. “We know that every match in this qualifier is very important and we shall take it with a lot of caution,” added Ajiing.

Hosts Ethiopia who are hungry to qualify for the final tournament will face Rwanda in the second Group A match at the same Stadium.

At the Dire Dawa Stadium, the 2024 runners-up Tanzania will open against Sudan in a Group B tie, while Burundi take on defending champions Uganda in the second match.

The best two teams from each group will qualify to play in the semi final stage. The losers at the semi final stage will tussle it out for the bronze medal, while the winner play in the final. The champions, first runner up and second runner up will represent the CECAFA Zone at the TotalEnergies AFCON 2026.

Meanwhile, the CECAFA Competitions Manager Yussuf Mossi has lauded the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF) for accepting to host the AFCON U-17 Zonal qualifiers.

“We deeply appreciate the EFF for embracing this opportunity. This is crucial for the future of regional football and allows Ethiopia to build vital experience in organizing continental tournaments, which aligns with their ambitious goal of hosting the AFCON in 2029,” added Mossi.