Uganda’s hopes of returning to the FIFA U17 World Cup will be decided in a make or break playoff against West African side Ghana after the Uganda Cubs secured a place in the final qualification round at the AFCON U17 tournament.
The Cubs finished third in Group B with four points behind Ivory Coast and Cameroon to book a playoff spot.
Ghana also finished third in Group D with four points, behind Senegal and Algeria.
The winner of the playoff will qualify for the FIFA U17 World Cup, with the match dates yet to be confirmed.
For Uganda, the fixture brings back memories of the last edition when the Cubs defeated The Gambia in the playoffs to qualify for their first ever World Cup. They went on to reach the Round of 16 at the tournament.
Now, another West African opponent stands in their way.
The AFCON U17 tournament format gives automatic World Cup qualification to the top two teams in each group, who also advance to the quarterfinals.
Teams that finish third move into playoffs, where two more World Cup places are decided.
The second playoff match will see Mozambique face Ethiopia for the final slot.
Uganda’s young side showed resilience throughout the group stage to stay in contention and now stand one win away from another appearance on the global stage.
The duel against Ghana will test the Cubs again, but it also offers them another opportunity to prove that Uganda’s rise in youth football is continuing.
