Uganda’s dream of gracing the FIFA U17 World Cup stage will hang on a decisive clash against The Gambia this Saturday, 12th April, in Morocco.
Having wrapped up the group stage of the ongoing U17 Africa Cup of Nations with just one win; against Tanzania, and losses to Zambia and hosts Morocco, the Cubs finished third in their group.
That outcome, while falling short of the quarterfinals, still kept them in the race for a historic World Cup qualification.
Their next hurdle comes in the shape of a do-or-die playoff match against fellow third-placed side The Gambia, who suffered a 2-1 defeat to Tunisia in their final group match.
That result consigned them to third in Group C, with Tunisia and Senegal sealing direct quarterfinal berths.
With Africa allocated ten slots for the expanded 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup, all eight quarterfinalists have already secured their places at the global showpiece.
The two remaining spots will now be contested by the four best third-placed teams from the group stage.
Uganda’s technical bench, led by coach Brian Ssenyondo, will be banking on the resilience the Cubs showed in their win over Tanzania, and hoping for an improved showing in front of goal, an area that proved costly in the previous group fixtures.
Elsewhere, the other playoff fixture pits Egypt against Angola in the second of the two high-stakes qualifiers.
Should Uganda prevail against The Gambia, it would mark their first ever appearance at the FIFA U17 World Cup; a momentous milestone for the country’s youth football project.
