Uganda’s U17 national football team, the Cubs, will discover their group-stage opponents for the TotalEnergies CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) when the final tournament draw takes place in Cairo, Egypt, tomorrow at 2:45 pm Ugandan time.
The expanded competition, set for March 30 to April 19, 2025, in Morocco, will feature 16 teams, with 10 earning places at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar later in the year.
Former Mali international Adama Coulibaly and Senegalese legend Souleymane Camara will conduct the draw.
Uganda secured its U17 AFCON spot by progressing to the final of the CECAFA qualifiers after defeating Somalia in the semis at Hamz Stadium in Kampala last December.
The Cubs, led by coach Brian Ssenyondo, then went on to win the final after staging a remarkable comeback against Tanzania to win the game 2-1.
Both Uganda and Tanzania will represent the CECAFA zone at the finals.
The draw will see the 16 teams split into four groups of four, with host nation Morocco pre-assigned to Group A.
Defending champions Senegal, 2023 third-place finishers Burkina Faso, and fourth-placed Mali will also be seeded.
Uganda will be drawn from Pot 1, which includes other unseeded teams such as Angola, Egypt, Gambia, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, and two yet-to-be-determined UNIFFAC representatives.
The top two teams from each group will automatically qualify for the quarterfinals and the FIFA U17 World Cup.
The remaining two African World Cup slots will be decided through play-offs involving the third-placed teams.
Uganda’s qualification for the U17 AFCON means the country will have two national teams competing in Morocco next year.
The senior team, the Uganda Cranes, also booked their place at the 2025 AFCON, set for December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, under coach Paul Put.
