U-17 AFCON (Q): Laryea Kingston begins Uganda tenure with crucial Burundi test in Ethiopia

Ghanaian tactician Layrea Kingston begins his competitive journey as Uganda U-17 (Cubs) head coach on Saturday night when the defending champions face Burundi in a crucial Group B encounter at the 2025 AFCON CECAFA U-17 Qualifiers in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

Kingston, who recently signed a two-year contract with FUFA as head coach for all Uganda men’s junior teams (U-15, U-17, U-20), has been shaping his young squad during a rigorous residential camp at the FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru.

His first real test arrives as the Cubs seek to defend the title they lifted last year on home soil after beating Tanzania 2–1 in the final.

Placed in a competitive Group B containing Uganda, Tanzania, Djibouti, Sudan, and Burundi, the Cubs will be aware that every point counts in a tournament where only the top two teams from each group reach the semi-finals, the stage that determines qualification for the 2026 TotalEnergies AFCON U-17.

Game date, time and venue

Date: Saturday, 15th November 2025

Time: 8:00 PM EAT

Venue: Dire Dawa Stadium, Ethiopia

Kingston: “We have no excuse..we are going out there to defend the Uganda flag.”

Speaking ahead of the opener, Kingston underlined both the pressure and pride of leading the reigning champions:

“We are the defending champions so there is nothing more than we defending the cup. The most important thing is to qualify the team so our game is to approach every game as it comes in front of us but the main aim is for us to qualify to the AFCON Youth Championship and that’s our target.”

He acknowledged the difficulty of the assignment but expressed full confidence in his backroom staff and FUFA’s backing:

“For us it’s a very big challenge, it’s not easy to achieve it but we are going to take it a game at a time and where the bar is where we want to go. But the most important thing is us qualifying for AFCON and with the help of the technical team, the management and FUFA who have supported us, I think we have no excuse.”

With determination and character expected from his side, Kingston added:

“We are going out there to defend the Uganda flag, to enjoy and play our hearts out and bring results to the country.”

A total of ten nations are taking part in the qualifiers scheduled 15th November – 2nd December 2025, hosted across the cities of Dire Dawa and Addis Ababa.

GROUP A Teams:

Ethiopia (Hosts)
Somalia
Kenya
South Sudan
Rwanda

GROUP B Teams:

Uganda
Tanzania
Djibouti
Sudan
Burundi

OPENING MATCHES

Group A – Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa
Somalia vs South Sudan – Opening Match
Ethiopia vs Rwanda – Second Match

Group B – Dire Dawa Stadium
Tanzania (2024 runners-up) vs Sudan – First game of the group
Uganda vs Burundi – Second game (8pm EAT)

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Top 2 teams per group – Semi-finals
Semi-final losers -3rd-place playoff

Finalists + 3rd place team Qualify to the 2026 TotalEnergies AFCON U17 as CECAFA representatives

With Uganda aiming for back-to-back qualification and another continental appearance, Kingston’s young charges know that victory in the opener would set the perfect tone for the campaign.

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