U17 AFCON: Uganda brush aside D.R Congo with an emphatic 3-0 victory

Uganda U17 opened their TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 campaign in impressive fashion after recording a commanding 3-0 victory over debutants DR Congo in their Group B encounter on Wednesday.

The East African side delivered a composed and clinical performance to move level on points with Côte d’Ivoire, who defeated Cameroon earlier in the day.

Owen Mukisa Inspires Uganda’s Strong Display

Uganda gradually took control of the contest through influential midfielder Owen Mukisa, who played a key role in dictating the tempo of the game.

Their pressure eventually paid off in the 37th minute when Mukisa opened the scoring to give the Cubs a deserved lead.

DR Congo struggled to recover before halftime and Uganda struck again deep into first-half stoppage time as Nicholas Kawooya found the net in the 45+2 minute to double his side’s advantage.

Abdulshakur Babi Seals Comfortable Victory

The Congolese side attempted to respond after the restart, but Uganda remained compact defensively while continuing to threaten on the counterattack.

Any hopes of a comeback were eventually ended in the 82nd minute when Abdulshakur Babi added a third goal to cap an excellent performance from coach Laryea Kingston’s team.

Uganda Boost Knockout and World Cup Hopes

The emphatic result gives Uganda an important early advantage in the battle for qualification to the knockout stages of the competition.

It also strengthens their hopes of securing one of Africa’s qualification spots for the FIFA U-17 World Cup later this year.