Shortly after guiding the Uganda Cubs to a dramatic 6-5 penalty shootout victory over Somalia to claim the 2026 CECAFA U-17 Championship title, head coach Laryea Kingston opened up to CECAFA-Online-Media about the profound personal and collective significance of the triumph.
For the Ghanaian tactician, the gold medal represents both a personal redemption and a baseline for a long-term footballing revolution in Uganda.
Reflecting on his journey with the youth national team, Kingston highlighted how crucial winning trophies and making an impact in every single competition is to his professional career. Having suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Tanzania in last year’s final, the coach was determined not to let history repeat itself.
“Last year, I was at the final and I lost the final to Tanzania,” Kingston recalled. “This year, we reached the final again. Taking silver back-to-back would not have been fair. I believe God has spoken—He gave me the gold this time. But all the credit goes entirely to the boys.”
With regional glory sealed, Kingston’s focus has instantly shifted toward building the squad for the biggest stage of all: the upcoming 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Rather than viewing the CECAFA tournament as a final destination, the manager sees it as a vital stepping stone to give his young players the elite experience they need.
“We are building a team,” Kingston explained. “The boys exhibited an amazing display of football here, and we are going to build upon it. We have the World Cup coming up, and because most of these boys are young, I wanted to ensure they got this crucial tournament experience. Football is not about age; we’ve all seen young players given the platform at the global level to showcase exactly what they can do.”
Kingston revealed that while the core structural identity of the team is strong, the technical bench is planning ahead, noting that approximately 20% of the current roster will be integrated and refined as they transition into the final World Cup preparations.
When asked about the overall standard of the competition in Kigali, the tactician was full of praise for the rising competitive quality across East Africa.
“Impressive. That’s the word I’ll use: impressive,” Kingston stated. “Having been here last year, I can clearly see a major improvement in the performances of the teams. The competitiveness of this tournament is rising year by year.”
Addressing lighthearted rumors regarding his contract status and a potential exit from the youth set-up, Kingston laughed off any speculation of stepping away early, expressing his absolute love for his environment.
“I signed a two-year contract; I am done with year one, and now I have one year left,” the boss clarified. “But I absolutely love this environment. I am thoroughly enjoying my work with these boys. Ugandans have an immense amount of talent. There are so many more untapped talents out there that we still need to go out and find. For now, my entire focus is on finishing my contract strongly.”
With a clear tactical philosophy, an abundance of raw regional talent, and a guaranteed spot on the world stage, Coach Kingston and his Uganda Cubs are proving that they aren’t just participating in tournaments—they are truly making a lasting impact.
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