The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda National Under-20 team, the Hippos, commenced their preparations for the CECAFA Zonal Qualifiers of the Total Energies 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The qualifiers will take place from October 6th to 20th, 2024, in Tanzania with the two finalists securing spots in next year’s AFCON U-20 tournament.
Currently based at the FUFA Technical Center in Njeru, the team is undergoing daily training sessions as they gear up for their upcoming matches. Uganda has been placed in Group B alongside South Sudan, Burundi, and Ethiopia.
The tournament schedule, released by the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA), showed that Uganda will open its campaign against Ethiopia, followed by matches against Burundi and South Sudan.
But, despite being the defending champions, having defeated South Sudan in last year’s final, the new head coach, Matia Lule, the team’s Head Coach, speaking after one of the training sessions, made it clear that the team’s primary focus is not on retaining the title but on qualifying for AFCON 2025.
The rules are clear; the two finalists qualify for AFCON. But Lule says they will take it step by step, starting with getting out of the group and then aiming to reach the final, which guarantees qualification for the continental tournament.
Lule expressed satisfaction with the players’ response during the first training sessions. He praised the high turnout and the healthy competition within the squad, with every player striving to secure a place on the final team that will travel for the qualifiers.
Uganda’s performance in the CECAFA U-20 AFCON qualifiers has been impressive, having won back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2023. The Hippos triumphed over Tanzania in the 2021 final and defeated South Sudan last year, solidifying their dominance in the region.
However, their success in the regional tournament has yet to translate to continental glory. The Hippos have reached the AFCON U-20 final twice in the last three years, but both times they fell short against Ghana.
First, they lost to Ghana in Mauritania in 2021 and later they suffered a second consecutive defeat against Ghana last year this time on Ghanaian soil in Accra.
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