Uganda’s U17 Women’s National Team, the Teen Cranes, now know the hurdle standing between them and a dream spot at the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
In the draws conducted on over the weekend in Rabat, Morocco, Uganda was paired against Zimbabwe in a high-stakes first-round encounter scheduled for April this year.
The Teen Cranes will start their campaign away from home. The first leg is set to take place in Zimbabwe between April 10th and 12th. A week later, the action will return to Kampala for the decisive return leg between April 17th and 19th.
The aggregate winner of this tie will advance to the second round, where the stakes get even higher.
Should Uganda successfully navigate the Zimbabwe test, football fans in the region could be treated to a mouth-watering East African derby. The winner of the Uganda vs. Zimbabwe tie will face either Kenya or Namibia in the second round, scheduled for late May.
With Kenya’s Junior Starlets having made history by qualifying for the previous World Cup, the Teen Cranes will be under pressure to prove that Uganda is equally capable of reaching the global stage.
The draw for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026 African Qualifiers
FIRST ROUND
First leg: 10-12 April
Second leg: 17-19 April
M1 and M2: Niger vs Guinea
M3 and M4: Burkina Faso vs Benin
M5 and M6: Sierra Leone vs Core d’Ivoire
M7 and M8: Tunisia vs Senegal
M9 and M10: Algeria vs Cameroon
M11 and M12: Togo vs Ghana
M13 and M14: Libya vs Liberia
M15 and M16: Rwanda vs Zambia
M17 and M18: DR Congo vs Djibouti
M19 and M20: South Sudan vs Ethiopia
M20 and M22: Malawi vs Burundi
M22 and M24: Botswana vs Tanzania
M23 and M26: Central African Republic vs South Africa
M27 and M28: Zimbabwe vs Uganda
M29 and M30: Namibia vs Kenya
SECOND ROUND
First leg: 22-24 May
Second leg: 29-31 May
M31 and M32: Niger or Guinea vs Nigeria
M33 and M34: Burkina Faso or Benin vs Sierra Leone or Cote d’Ivoire
M35 and M36: Tunisia or Senegal vs Algeria or Cameroon
M37 and M38: Togo or Ghana vs Libya or Liberia
M39 and M40: Rwanda or Zambia vs DR Congo or Djibouti
M41 and M42: South Sudan or Ethiopia vs Malawi vs Burundi
M43 and M44: Botswana or Tanzania vs Central African Republic or South Africa
M45 and M46: Zimbabwe or Uganda vs Namibia or Kenya
Wow, what a tough game for the Teen Cranes! Really exciting to see them battling it out for a spot in Morocco.