The Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations has confirmed an eight-team lineup for the 2026 CECAFA U-17 Women’s Championship, underscoring the growing momentum of youth women’s football across the region.
Set to take place from June 13 to 23 in Dar es Salaam, the tournament will bring together emerging talent from eight Member Associations, with hosts Tanzania joined by Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, and Sudan.
CECAFA Competitions Manager Yusuf Mossi revealed that all eight associations have formally confirmed participation, notably highlighting Somalia and Sudan, who are set to field women’s teams at international level for the first time—an important milestone for the region’s football development.
Beyond the immediate competition, the championship will serve a strategic role in preparing teams for the final المرحلة of qualification for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
According to Mossi, the event is designed to sharpen squads from the CECAFA zone that advance to the further phase of the global qualifiers.
Uganda will enter the tournament with pedigree, aiming to replicate their 2019 triumph under former head coach Ayub Khalifah, a success that remains a benchmark for youth women’s football in the country.
The U-17 Women’s Championship forms part of a broader and busy CECAFA calendar. The regional body is also set to stage five additional competitions this year, including the CECAFA Kagame Cup, the CAF African Schools Football Championship CECAFA Qualifiers, and qualification tournaments for both the Africa Cup of Nations U-20 and Africa Cup of Nations U-17.
With participation expanding and stakes rising, the Dar es Salaam showcase promises to be a significant platform for the next generation of women’s football talent in East and Central Africa.
