The Uganda U-17 national football team, the Cubs, booked their place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup after edging Ghana in a dramatic playoff encounter decided by penalties in Rabat, Morocco.
In a tense qualification showdown played on Saturday night, Uganda held their nerve to secure an 8-7 shootout victory after normal time ended 2-2, completing another historic milestone for the country’s rapidly rising youth football programme.
The Black Starlets of Ghana made a strong start and grabbed the opening goal inside the first ten minutes through Eric Gyamfi, who finished from close range to put the West Africans ahead early in the contest.
Uganda responded before halftime through captain Owen Mukisa, whose brilliantly delivered corner kick curled directly into the net to restore parity for the Cubs.
Ghana regained the lead shortly after the restart when Abdul Latif capitalised on a goalkeeping error to tap into an empty net, placing Uganda under pressure once again.
However, the Cubs refused to surrender. Deep into stoppage time, forward Arafat Ibanda calmly converted from the penalty spot to level matters at 2-2 and force the game into a penalty shootout.
During the shootout, goalkeeper Ashraf Lukyamuzi emerged as Uganda’s hero after saving Ghana’s decisive penalty attempt.
Trevor Mubiru then confidently converted the winning kick to send Uganda into celebration and confirm qualification for the global tournament.
Scenes of jubilation followed the final whistle as players and officials celebrated a hard-fought qualification campaign in Morocco.
Uganda’s qualification continues the country’s growing progress in youth football development, with the Cubs once again proving competitive on the continental stage.
The playoff victory came after Uganda finished third in Group B of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, earning another opportunity to fight for a World Cup slot through the qualification playoffs.
Africa will be represented by ten nations at the expanded FIFA U-17 World Cup, including Uganda, Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Egypt, Tanzania, Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Mozambique.
The achievement is expected to further strengthen confidence in Uganda’s youth football structures and increase optimism about the future pipeline for the senior national teams.
