Uganda’s U17 national team is just one crucial victory away from writing a golden chapter in its football history, a first-ever ticket to the FIFA U17 World Cup.
The young charges, affectionately known as the Cubs, are set to face off with The Gambia in a high-pressure decider this Saturday, April 12, in Morocco.
After navigating a turbulent group stage at the ongoing U17 Africa Cup of Nations, managing only one triumph against Tanzania while stumbling against Zambia and hosts Morocco, Uganda finished third in their group.
While that result wasn’t enough to reach the quarterfinals, it did earn them a lifeline in the form of a World Cup playoff opportunity.
Standing in their path is another third-placed side, The Gambia, who missed out on direct qualification following a narrow 2-1 loss to Tunisia in their final group outing.
Tunisia and Senegal punched their tickets to the next round, leaving The Gambia to fight for survival.
With CAF granted ten slots for the expanded 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup, the top eight teams, all quarterfinalists have already punched their tickets.
The last two golden passes are now up for grabs between the best-performing third-placed teams.
Elsewhere, Egypt will go head-to-head with Angola in the other do-or-die showdown, as both nations chase the last available spots on world football’s biggest youth stage.
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