Uganda’s U23 national team, the Uganda Kobs, will not participate in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations U23 qualifiers after FUFA confirmed their withdrawal on Tuesday.
The decision comes less than three weeks before the Kobs were scheduled to begin their qualifying campaign against Ethiopia, with the two-legged first-round tie initially set for between September 20 and October 6, 2026.
FUFA attributed the withdrawal to financial constraints, saying the Government’s current priority is funding preparations for the senior Uganda Cranes ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Uganda will co-host the continental tournament alongside Kenya and Tanzania next year.
“Considering that the Government has prioritised the Uganda Cranes’ preparations for AFCON 2027 for FY 2026/27, it is only imperative that this decision is painfully made now than later,” FUFA stated.
The federation added that the decision will also affect players from the previous U20 generation who were expected to form part of the U23 setup.
“Uganda was due to play Ethiopia over two legs between 20th September and 6th October 2026,” FUFA confirmed in a statement published on its website.
The withdrawal represents another setback for Uganda’s Olympic-age football programme, coming four years after FUFA pulled the Kobs out of the 2023 AFCON U23 qualifiers, also citing financial limitations.
FUFA said it is continuing discussions with the Government over the participation of other national teams and will provide further updates as engagements progress.
