Laryea Kingston credits Uganda’s support for youth football success

Former Ghana midfielder Laryea Kingston says Uganda’s investment in his technical team has been crucial to his success with the country’s youth sides.

Kingston has overseen significant progress with Uganda’s U-17 team, known as the Cubs, securing qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar and the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Cubs also won the CECAFA U-17 Championship after beating Somalia 6-5 on penalties following a goalless draw in the final in Kigali, Rwanda, on Monday, 19 October.

Uganda secured their World Cup place in May after defeating Ghana’s Black Starlets 8-7 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in their play-off at the U-17 AFCON in Morocco.

Kingston believes the achievements reflect not only the players’ quality but also the supportive environment created by the Uganda Football Federation (FUFA).

“We all know that every success, you need a friendly environment, and Uganda have provided a very good friendly environment for me,” he said.

The former Black Stars midfielder explained that his appointment was intended to achieve more than developing young players. FUFA also expected him to contribute to the development of local coaches and the wider growth of Ugandan football.

He credited the federation for assembling an experienced backroom team to support his work with the youth sides.

“The first thing they did was they put very good people around me. With the U-17s, they gave me an evergreen backroom staff,” Kingston said.

“My first assistant, my second assistant, all of them are legends of Ugandan football, and they have entered into coaching and are willing to learn and make sure we improve each other’s qualities.”

Kingston said the arrangement had created opportunities for knowledge-sharing, allowing him to contribute his experience while learning from former Ugandan players familiar with the country’s football culture.

He added that working alongside local coaches was an important part of building the technical capacity needed to sustain Uganda’s progress at youth level.

Although challenges have emerged, Kingston said the technical team had managed them effectively and remained focused on its objectives.

“Without saying everything is perfect, we all know there are challenges sometimes, but we’ve so far managed it very well,” he said.

“Going forward, we’re looking forward to maintaining the same consistency to make sure everyone is on the same page.”

Kingston also praised FUFA president Moses Magogo for providing the necessary personnel across the U-17 and U-20 teams.

“I think the president did a very good job by giving me the right people to work with, both the U-17s and the U-20s,” he added.

Uganda prepare for World Cup challenge

Kingston’s immediate focus is the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, which is scheduled to run from 19 November to 13 December 2026.

Uganda will make their second consecutive appearance at the tournament after qualifying for the 2025 edition.

The Cubs have been drawn in Group B alongside South Korea, Ecuador and New Caledonia.

The competition will provide Kingston’s side with an opportunity to test its progress against teams from outside Africa as Uganda seek to build on their recent achievements.