Uganda’s U-17 national team has been drawn in a challenging Group B at the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026, where they will face Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and DR Congo.
The tournament is scheduled to run from May 18 to June 2, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the quarter-finals and automatically qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Two additional teams will also progress via playoffs.
The Cubs head into the competition with growing confidence following steady progress at continental level over the past decade. Their first appearance at the tournament came in 2019 in Tanzania, where they collected four points but narrowly missed out on a semi-final place.
Uganda later qualified for the 2021 edition in Morocco after winning the CECAFA qualifiers, although that tournament was cancelled shortly before kickoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Their most recent campaign marked a turning point. Uganda reached the FIFA U-17 World Cup play-off stage in 2025 and secured a historic 2-1 victory over The Gambia to qualify for their first-ever FIFA tournament at this level.
At the World Cup in Qatar, the Cubs impressed by reaching the round of 16. They registered standout wins over France and Senegal before exiting on penalties to Burkina Faso, a run that placed Uganda among the top 16 U-17 teams globally.
Drawn against three strong opponents in Morocco, Uganda will be aiming to build on that momentum as they target another deep run and a return to the World Cup stage.
