- The Kenya U17 national team, Junior Stars, have been placed in Group A of the upcoming CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2026 CECAFA Qualifiers tournament.
- The ten-nation competition will run from November 15 to December 2 at the Abebe Bikila Stadium and Dire Dawa Stadium in Ethiopia.
- Group B will be led by defending champions Uganda, and also features Tanzania, Djibouti, Sudan, and Burundi.
Kenya’s Men’s U17 national team, the Junior Stars, now know their opponents for the upcoming U17 AFCON CECAFA Qualifiers, scheduled for next month in November.
The draw for the zonal qualifiers was conducted on Friday, October 31, at the FUFA FM studio in Mengo, Uganda.
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The Junior Stars, one of the ten teams in the tournament, have been placed in Group A alongside hosts Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Rwanda, in what promises to be a competitive pool.
Group B will be headlined by the reigning champions Uganda, and includes Tanzania, Djibouti, Sudan, and Burundi.
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Andrew Jackson Oryada, the CECAFA Head of Marketing and Communication who conducted the draw, announced that the tournament will run from November 15th to December 2 at the Abebe Bikila Stadium and the Dire Dawa Stadium.
We are happy that once again we have a platform created by CAF for the youngsters to play International Football at Zonal level, the the best teams qualify for the African level and final the FIFA U-17 World Cup,” noted Oryada.
Under the tournament format, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, where the Group A winner faces the Group B runner-up and vice versa.
The two finalists will earn CECAFA’s slots at the 2026 U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
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These qualifiers will serve as a crucial platform for the region’s emerging talents to showcase their potential, as the race to book a ticket to the 2026 AFCON begins.
Therefore, Group A matches will be held at Abebe Bikila Stadium, while Group B matches will be played at Dire Dawa Stadium.
Kenya U17 aim to bounce back
The Kenyan team had a disappointing campaign in the last edition in 2024, which saw them eliminated in the group stage.
The Junior Stars lost both of their group matches, failing to score a single goal.
They began with a narrow 1-0 loss to Tanzania before suffering a heavy 5-0 defeat by hosts Uganda, which ended their hopes of qualifying for the following year’s U17 AFCON.
Therefore, the team will be aiming to progress much further this time around, having been drawn into what appears to be a more favourable group.
CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2026 CECAFA qualifiers pools
- Group A: Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Rwanda
- Group B: Uganda, Tanzania, Djibouti, Sudan, Burundi