Uganda out of WAFCON 2026 after second leg defeat to Ethiopia in Qualifiers

Addis-Ababa, (ETH):- Uganda’s hopes of advancing to the second round of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) 2026 qualifiers were dashed after the Crested Cranes lost to hosts Ethiopia in a dramatic penalty shootout loss on Wednesday afternoon.

The match, played at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa, ended 2-0 in regulation time, which saw the aggregate score level at 2-2 following Uganda’s 2-0 victory in the first leg.

The game took a decisive turn in the 66th minute when Ethiopia’s Aregash Kalsa netted the opening goal moments after Uganda’s Fazila Ikwaput was sent off. Uganda, despite a valiant defense, struggled to capitalize on their opportunities.

Zaina Namuleme came close to scoring but missed by inches as Ethiopia relentlessly attacked.

With seven minutes of added time, Ethiopia sealed their victory as Etsegenet Girma struck a second goal, sending the home crowd into euphoria and leaving Uganda with an uphill battle in the shootout.

In penalties, Ethiopia’s Tarikwa Debiso saw her effort saved, giving Uganda a chance. However, Phiona Nabbumba and Resty Kobusobozi both missed their penalties, and Ethiopia emerged victorious 5-4 on penalties.

Uganda’s defeat was compounded by the absence of key players, including goalkeeper Ruth Aturo and defender Bridget Nabisaalu, who were both sidelined due to injury.

Ethiopia will now face the winner between Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea in the second round of the qualifiers.

In the other qualifier actions, South Sudan’s hopes were also shattered after a 3-0 defeat to Algeria, resulting in an 8-0 aggregate loss for the African giants, while Rwanda fought hard but fell short, drawing 2-2 with Egypt after losing the first leg 1-0 in Kigali, thus failing to advance.