Amus College returns to CAF Schools CECAFA qualifiers,

Amus College will represent Uganda at the 2026 CAF Africa Schools Football Championship CECAFA Qualifiers in both the boys' and girls' categories after winning the national titles at the USSSA National Championships in Gulu in July.

The qualifiers will be held in Kigali, Rwanda, from September 3 to 5, marking Amus' return to the regional competition after a three-year absence.

Amus head coach Richard Malinga says the school is ready for the challenge but expects tough competition.

"We are happy to represent Uganda in both categories, but we know the competition will be tough. Our focus is to prepare well and make Uganda proud," Malinga said.

Amus and Royal Giant High School were Uganda's first representatives at the regional qualifiers in 2022. Royal Giant won the boys' title, while Amus finished third in the girls' competition.

Malinga says the school wants to use the opportunity to give its players experience at a higher level.

"We have worked hard to reach this level. We want to compete well in Kigali and give our players the chance to show what they can do on a bigger stage," he said.

The Kigali qualifiers also come with a major financial reward. The winners will receive $100,000 (about Shs374 million), while the first and second runners-up will get $75,000 (about Shs280 million) and $50,000 (about Shs187 million), respectively.

St Mary's Kitende are the defending boys' champions, while Tanzania are the defending girls' champions. Both represented the CECAFA region at the CAF Africa Schools Football Championship finals in Zimbabwe.

Uganda's boys have reached the CAF African Schools Football Championship continental finals in each of the first four editions and will be hoping for a fifth time.

In the 2022–23 inaugural edition, Royal Giant High School represented Uganda at the finals in Durban, South Africa, but exited at the group stage.

In 2023–24, Uganda's boys qualified through the CECAFA zonal competition and won bronze at the continental stage.

In 2024–25, Uganda again reached the continental competition, with the girls finishing as runners-up after losing 2–0 to hosts Ghana in the final.

In 2025–26, St Mary's Kitende represented Uganda in the boys' competition and reached the final. They lost 5–4 on penalties to Senegal after a goalless draw, with Uganda earning approximately $200,000 (about Shs748 million) for finishing second. Tanzania, meanwhile, failed to advance from the group stage in the girls' competition.

The CAF African Schools Football Championship was launched in April 2022 in Maputo, Mozambique, by CAF President Patrice Motsepe. The competition aims to identify young talent, strengthen school football, and link sport with education and social development.

Alongside the matches, CAF also runs capacity-building programmes for participating schools and host communities to improve skills and knowledge beyond the tournament.