TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations
Tuesday, May 19
Uganda v Ivory Coast 7pm
DR Congo v Cameroon 10pm
Casablanca, Morocco: Uganda’s national under-17 football team faces its biggest test yet at the ongoing TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations when the Cubs take on Côte d’Ivoire in a decisive Group B clash on Tuesday evening.
The high-stakes encounter could determine whether Uganda secures automatic qualification to the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026 or is forced into the tense play-off route reserved for third-placed teams.
Group B wide open
Heading into the final group matches, Uganda sits second in Group B on three points, level with Cameroon but ahead on goal difference.
The Cubs have scored three goals and conceded once, while Cameroon have managed only one goal and conceded twice.
Côte d’Ivoire lead the group with six points after winning both of their opening matches, while DR Congo remain bottom without a point.
Group B Standings
Côte d’Ivoire – 6 points
Uganda – 3 points
Cameroon – 3 points
DR Congo – 0 points
Uganda opened the tournament in style with an impressive 3-0 victory over DR Congo, a result that briefly sent shockwaves across the competition and boosted hopes of a historic World Cup qualification.
However, the Cubs suffered a setback in their second match after narrowly losing 1-0 to Cameroon in a tightly contested East and Central African derby on Saturday.
That defeat has now left qualification hanging in the balance ahead of Tuesday’s final group fixtures.
Qualification scenarios
For Uganda, the permutations are now straightforward but extremely tense.
A victory over Côte d’Ivoire would guarantee the Cubs a place in the quarter-finals and secure automatic qualification to the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
A draw could still be enough, but Uganda would then rely on DR Congo taking points off Cameroon in the other Group B fixture scheduled later on Tuesday night.
However, defeat combined with a Cameroon victory would drop Uganda to third place, forcing the Cubs into the play-off round for the remaining World Cup qualification slots.
Africa will be represented by 10 teams at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026.
The eight quarter-finalists at the U-17 AFCON automatically qualify, while the four third-placed teams will battle for the final two African slots.
Tough challenge awaits
Uganda faces arguably the strongest team in the group. The Ivorians have already confirmed qualification to both the quarter-finals and the World Cup after consecutive victories against Cameroon and DR Congo.
Their latest win came courtesy of a late Harafat Diabate strike in a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over DR Congo.
Despite already qualifying, Côte d’Ivoire are still expected to field a competitive side as they aim to maintain momentum heading into the knockout stages.
Uganda coach Laryea Kingston and his technical bench will now hope the Cubs can rediscover the clinical attacking display that dismantled DR Congo in the opening game.
Captain Owen Mukisa, Nicholas Kawooya and AbdulShakur Babi, all scorers in Uganda’s opening victory, are expected to play central roles in Tuesday’s decisive contest.
CECAFA impressing
Elsewhere, CECAFA nations have continued to make a strong statement at the continental tournament.
Tanzania have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-17 World Cup after recording back-to-back 3-0 victories over Mozambique and Angola in Group C.
The young Tanzanians have emerged as one of the tournament’s surprise packages and will conclude their group campaign against Mali on Wednesday.
Ethiopia, meanwhile, suffered a 2-1 defeat to tournament hosts Morocco and now face a must-win clash against Tunisia in their final Group A fixture.
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