Uganda’s U17 team will look to bounce back from a heavy opening defeat when they take on East African rivals Tanzania in their second Group A fixture at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
The match is set for Thursday at the El Bachir Stadium in Mohammedia, kicking off at 17:00 local time (GMT).
The Ugandan Cubs suffered a tough start to the tournament, falling 5-0 to hosts Morocco in their first match. It was their heaviest-ever defeat at the U17 AFCON finals, marking a challenging beginning to their second appearance at the tournament.
This encounter revives a familiar rivalry, as Uganda and Tanzania have already met twice in the qualifiers for Morocco 2025.
In those encounters, the first ended in a 1-1 draw, while Uganda won the second meeting 2-1 to secure their place at the tournament. Notably, in both games, Tanzania took the lead but failed to hold on.
Uganda will take confidence from their history against Tanzania at this level. In their only previous AFCON U17 finals clash, Uganda triumphed 3-0 in the 2019 edition held in Dar es Salaam.
That win remains Uganda’s only victory at the tournament, and the Cubs will be eager to repeat that feat to keep their hopes of progressing past the group stage alive.
Despite the heavy loss to Morocco, Uganda showed promising attacking intent, recording 65 entries into the final third—more than Morocco’s 61.
However, defensive lapses proved costly, with the Cubs facing six shots on target, the second-most they have conceded in a single U17 AFCON match.
A victory over Tanzania would not only revive Uganda’s campaign but also boost their confidence heading into their final group game.
