Wednesday Fixtures
- Egypt vs Ethiopia – 4pm
- Ivory Coast vs Cameroon – 4pm
- Uganda vs DR Congo – 7pm
- Morocco vs Tunisia – 10pm
Rabat, Morocco: The Uganda national under-17 football team have expressed confidence ahead of their opening match against DR Congo national under-17 football team at the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Uganda will begin their Group B campaign on Wednesday evening as they target a strong start in one of the tournament’s toughest groups that also includes Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Uganda Cubs captain Owen Mukisa said the squad is mentally prepared and motivated to compete for a place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
“Those two preparation matches have given us confidence, and we now strongly believe we can compete,” Mukisa said. “The boys are working hard and doing their level best to achieve the goal. The aim is to reach the World Cup, and then we can think about the rest,” he added.
The Cubs, coached by former Ghana international Laryea Kingston, have spent nearly 10 days in Morocco fine-tuning preparations for the continental tournament.
During the training camp, Uganda defeated Mozambique 3-1 before edging Mali 1-0 in friendly matches, results that boosted confidence within the camp.
Uganda returns to the U-17 AFCON finals for the third time after previous appearances in 2019 and 2025.
The team qualified for this year’s tournament after finishing runners-up at the CECAFA U-17 qualifiers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Mukisa, who was named the Most Valuable Player during the qualifiers, is expected to play a key role in midfield alongside Henry Muhoozi.
Forward Thomas Ogema will spearhead Uganda’s attack after scoring four goals during qualification.
DR Congo, one of the tournament debutants, qualified after finishing runners-up at the UNIFFAC qualifiers and will rely on striker Delpierot Ntali, who emerged top scorer during qualification.
Uganda will face Cameroon in their second group game before concluding the group stage against Côte d’Ivoire on May 19.
Africa will have 10 representatives at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with all quarterfinalists automatically securing qualification to the global tournament in Qatar.
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