KAMPALA, March 21 (Xinhua) -- The head coach of Uganda Cubs, Brian Ssenyondo, has announced his final squad that will compete in the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The biennial tournament, organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for players aged 17 and below, will feature 16 teams. The event is scheduled to take place from March 30 to April 19, 2025, in Morocco.

Uganda Cubs, the Zonal Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) champions, are placed in Group A alongside hosts Morocco, Tanzania, and Zambia.

"I have selected a team that I am sure can compete and reach the later stages of the tournament. After the Zonal qualifiers in December last year, a lot of technical work has been ongoing, and we have prepared well with the team," Ssenyondo told Xinhua.

The coach emphasized that his primary goal is to advance to the later stages of the tournament to secure qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The top 10 teams will qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2025, to be held in Qatar.

"We know that our group is very tough, and every match will be handled like a final. The players know that the hurdle ahead of us is a very tough one, and the target is the World Cup, which no Ugandan football team has qualified for yet," added Ssenyondo.

He stressed that their opening match against Morocco on March 30 will be crucial, as it will set the momentum for the team. "We do not underrate any team in the competition because every team wants to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup," he reasoned.

The Uganda Cubs team will shift their training camp to Morocco for a few days before the tournament kicks off.

Uganda, Tanzania, and Somalia are the three teams representing the CECAFA Zone at the AFCON U-17 qualifiers. Enditem

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