Kenya land tough draw for Afcon U-17 Cecafa qualifiers

In Summary

Defending champions Uganda headline Group B alongside Tanzania, Djibouti, Sudan and Burundi, whose games will be staged at the Dire Dawa Stadium.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, with the winners proceeding to the final and the losers contesting the bronze medal match.

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Kenya has been handed a tough draw for the Africa Under-17 Cup of Nations (AFCON) Cecafa qualifiers, which will take place in Ethiopia from November 15 to December 2.

The Junior Stars will face hosts Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Rwanda in Group A, with all matches set to be played at the Abebe Bikila Stadium in Addis Ababa.

Defending champions Uganda headline Group B alongside Tanzania, Djibouti, Sudan, and Burundi, whose games will be staged at the Dire Dawa Stadium.

The draw for the regional qualifiers was conducted at the FUFA FM studios in Mengo, Uganda, by the Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) head of marketing and communication, Andrew Jackson Oryada.

“We are happy that once again we have a platform created by CAF for the youngsters to play international football at the zonal level. The best teams qualify for the African level and finally the FIFA U-17 World Cup,” noted Oryada.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, with the winners proceeding to the final and the losers contesting the bronze medal match.

The champions, runners-up, and second runners-up will represent the Cecafa Zone at the continental championships.

Kenya’s squad and technical bench are expected to be unveiled this week.

Kariobangi Sharks coach William Muluya and Shabana’s Peter Okidi are tipped to lead the Junior Stars. Players will undergo MRI tests to verify their ages before travelling to Ethiopia.

The team will be looking to emulate their female counterparts, the Junior Starlets, who recently qualified for the U-17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic.

A: Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda

B: Uganda, Tanzania, Djibouti, Sudan, Burundi

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