Morocco
Uganda Cubs AFCON results
World Cup playoff
AFCON semifinals
The national U-17 men’s football team, the Uganda Cubs, kept Uganda’s historic journey on the global football stage alive after securing yet another FIFA U-17 World Cup ticket to Qatar.
The Uganda Cubs, who featured in the ongoing championship in Morocco, successfully emulated their predecessors, who made history by becoming the first-ever Ugandan side to play at a FIFA World Cup during the previous edition of the tournament held in Qatar in November last year.
Uganda Cubs close out a Ghana opponent
The Laryea Kingston-coached side, which began its journey in Ethiopia at the same time their predecessors were competing in Qatar, reached the finals and secured qualification for the AFCON championship without disappointment in Morocco.
Uganda started brightly with a 3-0 victory over DR Congo before settling for a 2-2 draw against Ivory Coast. However, a 1-0 loss to Cameroon in the final group game denied them automatic qualification to the quarterfinals. Despite this, the Cubs had accumulated enough points to advance to the World Cup playoffs, as Africa was allocated 10 slots for the tournament.
Uganda Cubs head coach Leayra Kingston being tossed high by the happy players
The draw pitted Uganda against giants Ghana, who had missed the 2025 edition. Coincidentally, Uganda’s coach is Ghanaian and a former Black Stars midfielder, making the stakes even higher.
Unlike the 2025 qualifying playoff, where the Cubs defeated The Gambia 2-1 to make history, this encounter was far more dramatic.
The Cubs fell behind to an Eric Gyamfi opener as early as the 10th minute before team captain Owen Mukisa levelled matters with a brilliant direct curl from a corner kick to end the first half on level terms.
Ghana regained the lead early in the second half through Abdul Latif, who finished off a move involving Gyamfi and Clement Agyei.
Brian Olwa and other players and officials cerebrate
Uganda then pressed hard for an equaliser, and their efforts paid off when the referee, after a VAR review, awarded a penalty for a handball by Ghana defender Nicholas Asumang. Arafat Ibanda calmly converted the spot-kick to make it 2-2.
The match was eventually decided in a penalty shootout, with Uganda’s John Owino, Henry Muhoozi, Abdulshakur Babi, Brian Olwa, Arafat Ibanda, Mujad Mbalire, Musa Suuna, and Trevor Mubiru all successfully converting their penalties.
Goalkeeper Ashraf Lukyamuzi then produced the defining moment by saving Ghana’s decisive penalty before Mubiru converted the winning kick to send Uganda to the World Cup.
Uganda Cubs head coach Leayra Kingston being tossed high by the happy players
Uganda joined Morocco, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Tanzania, Algeria, and Mozambique as Africa’s representatives for this year’s tournament in Qatar. Ethiopia narrowly missed out on qualification.
Last year, Africa was represented by Burkina Faso, Mali, Morocco, Zambia, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Tunisia, Egypt, and Uganda. This year, Cameroon, Tanzania, Algeria, and Mozambique join the list, replacing Zambia, South Africa, Tunisia, and Burkina Faso.
The Uganda Cubs returned home on Monday from Morocco, although the championship continues. On Thursday, the semifinals will see CECAFA champions Tanzania face Egypt, while hosts Morocco take on Senegal.
Torch Media Africa
