The Kenya U-20 national football team, the Rising Stars, head coach Gilbert Selebwa has named his final squad for the U20 CECAFA AFCON Qualifiers in Tanzania later this month.
The squad strikes a balance between school-based players and club-based talents drawn from both local and foreign clubs.
Notably, several players have made the step up from last year’s U17 side to the U20 set-up, among them Raphael Omondi, Eugine Belety, Trevor Nasasiro, Yusuf Ahmed, Armstrong Omondi, Brighton Nacheri and Julius Ochieng.
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Additionally, players from the last U20 AFCON squad, namely Bernard Jairo and Telena Ochieng, have made their return.
Meanwhile, five players based overseas will feature in the squad, led by Yusuf Ahmed of Swedish side Utsikten BK, alongside Abdirizak Nurie of Berlin FC and Quincy Waithanji of Germany’s BFC Dynamo.
With Seedoph Zgoll of Dereham FC in the United Kingdom and Keylah Mauko of Spanish side CF Reus Deportiu also making a cut.
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.
Kenya have been placed in a tough Group C, where they will battle it out alongside South Sudan and Burundi 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 have been placed in Group B with Sudan and Djibouti.
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Under the tournament guidelines, 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.
Despite Kenya having qualified for their debut U20 AFCON in Egypt in 2025, they will be seeking to improve on their performance from the last edition, where they fell short in the final after a narrow 2-1 loss to hosts Tanzania.
Rising Stars Final Squad for the 2026 U20 CECAFA AFCON Qualifiers
- GOALKEEPERS: Wayne Orata (Kariobangi Sharks FC), Benard Jairo (Nairobi United FC), Theodore Mwangi (Ongata Academy)
- DEFENDERS: Raphael Omondi (Kariobangi Sharks FC), Eugine Belety (Kakamega School), Telena Ochieng (Tusker FC), Charles Auma (FC Talanta), Edwin Jumba (Shabana FC), Rodgers Wasega (Posta Rangers FC), Stephen Ouma (St. Mary’s, Yala)
- MIDFIELDERS: Nasasiro Trevor (St. Anthony’s, Kitale), Hamvin Okoth (Migori Youth FC), Yusuf Ahmed (Utsikten BK, Sweden), Armstrong Omondi (Kariobangi Sharks FC), Churchil Ombuor (Migori Youth FC), Brighton Nacheri (Kakamega School), Allan Otieno (Migori Youth FC), Abdirizak Nurie (Berlin FC), Quincy Waithanji (BFC Dynamo, Germany)
- FORWARDS: Bravin Omondi (Mombasa Elite FC), Julius Ochieng (Kakamega School), Keylah Mauko (CF Reus Deportiu, Spain), Austine Odongo (Shaban FC), Seedoph Zgoll (Dereham FC, United Kingdom), Brighton Omondi (St. Mary’s, Yala)
Fixtures for the U20 CECAFA AFCON Qualifiers
- Kenya vs Burundi | September 17 | 8 PM | Uhuru Stadium
- Kenya vs South Sudan | September 19 | 2 PM | Uhuru Stadium