Rising Stars drawn into Group C for CECAFA U-20 AFCON 2026 Qualifiers

• Rising Stars has been drawn alongside South Sudan and Burundi for the zonal qualifiers set for September 15–25, 2026, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
• Only the three group winners and the single best second-placed team overall will advance to the semi-finals, with both finalists qualifying for the 2026 U-20 AFCON.
• Newly appointed head coach Gilbert Selebwa, flanked by assistants Dunstan Nyaudo and Musa Otieno, leads a refreshed squad seeking to avenge last edition’s final defeat to hosts Tanzania.

The Kenya U-20 national football team, the Rising Stars, has been drawn into Group C for the upcoming CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations CECAFA 2026 qualifiers.

In the official draw conducted on Monday at the Kigali Pelé Stadium in Rwanda. CECAFA Competitions Manager Yusuf Mossi and Amir Hassan oversaw the proceedings that set the stage for the 2026 youth edition.

Kenya will battle alongside South Sudan and Burund as they target back-to-back continental qualification berths.

Host nation Tanzania headlines Group A alongside Ethiopia and Rwanda, while last edition’s semi-finalists Uganda were placed in Group B with Sudan and Djibouti.

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The ten-day regional tournament is scheduled to take place from September 15 to September 25, 2026, at the newly renovated Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Under the tournament guidelines confirmed by Mossi, the nine participating nations will compete across the three groups during the opening phase.

The team that finishes at the top of each group will automatically advance to the semi-finals, while the fourth semi-final slot will be awarded to the single best second-placed team across all three groups.

The two teams that reach the tournament final will earn direct passage to represent the CECAFA zone at the 2027 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by Ghana.

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Kenya will be seeking to better their performance from the last edition, where they fell short in the final after a narrow 2-1 loss to hosts Tanzania.

Having successfully earned continental qualification during that impressive run, the Rising Stars will look to go one step further this time around by lifting the regional crown on Tanzanian soil.

Ahead of the tournament, newly appointed head coach Gilbert Selebwa named a broad 56-man provisional squad to begin preparations.

Selebwa’s technical bench features seasoned hands, with former Ulinzi Stars tactician Dunstan Nyaudo and former Harambee Stars captain Musa Otieno serving as assistant coaches, alongside legendary former national team goalkeeper Francis Onyiso as goalkeeper trainer.

Rising Stars drawn into Group C

• Group A: Tanzania (Hosts), Ethiopia, Rwanda
• Group B: Uganda, Sudan. Djibouti
• Group C: South Sudan, Kenya, Burundi