Three matches are on card as the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) CECAFA qualifiers kick-off at the Uhuru Stadium on Tuesday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
In a Group B battle, Uganda will take on Djibouti in the opening match of the competition. Layrea Kingston, the Uganda head coach has made it clear that every match in the tournament will be very important because their target is qualification for U-20 AFCON.
“We shall treat the opening match with a lot of seriousness and caution because it will determine the kind of momentum we shall set in the competition,” said Kingston.
The second match will see South Sudan face Burundi in a Group C. John Alier, the South Sudan head coach has also made it clear that they need to work hard and make it through the group to the knock out stage.
“We need to go out and try to win all out group matches because we are targeting qualification for U-20 AFCON,” added the coach.
The third match of the day will see the hosts Tanzania tussle it out against Rwanda in a Group A encounter. The Ngorongoro Heroes are the defending champions in the Zone having lifted the trophy in 2024.
Yusuf Mossi, the Competitions Manager of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) has made it clear that they expect a very competitive event. “All the teams have arrived in Dar es salaam and we expect a good competition,” added Mossi.
The semi-final matches will be played September 22nd with Group B winners facing the best second placed team, and Group A winners taking on Group C winners. The play-off and final will be played on September 24th. The finalists will qualify for the U-20 AFCON 2027.
