The Uganda Cubs used their second match at the TotalEnergies U17 CECAFA Qualifiers not just to win, but to send a message. Their 9–0 dismantling of Sudan on Tuesday in Ethiopia was less about the scoreline and more about a team growing in confidence, rhythm, and identity.
The performance reflected a side no longer relying on flashes of talent, but on a coordinated understanding of space, movement and tempo. Uganda looked like a team that knew exactly what it wanted to do and how to do it.
Coach Laryea Kingston kept faith in the same lineup that eased past Burundi in the opener, and that consistency showed. The Cubs played with a fluidity that overwhelmed Sudan from the first whistle, their attacks arriving in waves and their defensive line barely tested.
Goals arrived from everywhere. Captain Owen Mukisa set the tone early with a quick-fire brace, Thomas Ogema added another before halftime, and the second period turned into an exhibition of confidence.
Eze Kombi struck twice, John Brian Owino and Ismail Fahad added their names to the board, and substitutes Babi Abdulshakur and Arnold Kayemba finished the job late on.
What stood out most was the hunger even at 6–0, Uganda chased every ball like the match was level. That mentality has become a defining feature of Kingston’s group.
With six points and 13 goals from two matches, Uganda now steps into the heart of the tournament with momentum and belief. Tanzania, their next opponent, represents a different kind of test familiar, tactical, and traditionally tight. Uganda beat them in last year’s final, but the Cubs know form alone doesn’t win derbies.
The stakes are clear: a place in the semifinals, a pathway to Morocco next year, and a chance to defend their CECAFA crown.
While the U17 squad in Qatar saw their World Cup journey end in the Round of 16 after a tense shootout loss to Burkina Faso, their counterparts in Ethiopia are carrying the flag forward with purpose determined to prove Uganda’s youth pipeline is as deep as it is promising.
