The 2026 edition of the FUFA Juniors League kicks off today, Saturday, March 7, marking another step in Uganda’s structured youth football development pathway.
Federation of Uganda Football Associations Football Development Director Bashir Mutyaba said the competition has grown steadily since it was launched in 2015 as part of a plan to organise and standardise youth competitions across the country.
“It was started in 2015 as one of the projects to ensure that we streamline and standardise youth competitions, create age-specific competitions in Uganda. We marked 10 years of FUFA Juniors League excellence in 2025,” Mutyaba said.
The league was introduced to provide a clear pathway for young players to progress into Uganda’s national teams while giving scouts and coaches a structured platform to identify emerging talent.
“The FUFA Juniors League was started to ensure that a platform is created for young players to scout, young players that will feed the youth national teams,” he added.
Mutyaba said the competition has already contributed to Uganda’s success at youth level, particularly in tournaments organised by Confederation of African Football and FIFA.
“And one of the success stories that we have from the FUFA Juniors League is that we are able to qualify for several AFCON U-17 championships and also eventually qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.”
Several players have progressed through the league into the senior national team setup, including Kenneth Semakula, Travis Mutyaba, Abdul Aziz Kayondo and Bobosi Byaruhanga.
The new season is expected to build on the league’s decade long foundation as the federation continues to strengthen structured youth football development across the country.
