Hippos Draw Kenya, Burundi In CECAFA U-20 AFCON Qualifiers
Uganda’s U-20 national football team, the Hippos, have been handed a challenging Group B draw for the 2026 CECAFA U-20 Championship, which doubles as the region’s qualifiers for the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.
The tournament will be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from September 15 to 25, 2026, with the Hippos drawn alongside regional rivals Kenya and Burundi.
Uganda will be aiming to navigate the group stage and secure a place in the quarterfinals, as the team begins its journey towards qualification for the continental showpiece.
Group A consists of hosts and defending champions Tanzania, Ethiopia and Rwanda, while Group C features South Sudan, Sudan and Djibouti.
The top two teams from each group will automatically advance to the quarterfinals, joined by the two best third placed teams across the three groups.
From the quarterfinal stage, the competition will progress through the semifinals and final, with the two finalists earning qualification to the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.
Tanzania enter the tournament as defending champions after beating Kenya 2-1 in the final of the 2024 CECAFA U-20 qualifiers at KMC Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
According to CECAFA Competitions Manager Yusuf Mossi, the 2026 championship will feature all the eligible teams from the region except Eritrea and Somalia, who will miss the tournament.
For Uganda, the Hippos will have to negotiate a difficult group against Kenya and Burundi before setting their sights on the knockout stages and, ultimately, a return to the AFCON U-20 championship.
With two continental qualification slots on the line, the race for East Africa’s place at the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations promises to be fiercely contested in Dar es Salaam.