Botes wins maiden trophy as Teen Cranes complete perfect CECAFA campaign

CECAFA U-17 Women’s Championship

Final

Tanzania 0 Uganda 3

Third Place Playoff

Kenya 7 South Sudan 0

Uganda U-17 Women's National Team head coach Sheryl Ulanda Botes has won her first trophy for Uganda after guiding the Teen Cranes to the CECAFA U-17 Women's Championship title.

Uganda sealed the crown with a commanding 3-0 victory over hosts Tanzania in Tuesday's final, completing a dominant tournament run in which they did not concede a single goal and scored 26 goals in total.

The victory confirmed Uganda's regional dominance and crowned a perfect campaign for Botes, who took charge of the team in 2023.

"Playing against the host is the toughest match. I am really proud of the girls. They executed all the plans. We controlled the midfield. Tanzania is a very good squad, they were at home, but our win is all about planning," Botes said.

She added that the team's unity and preparation were key to success.

"We have been fighting since the beginning of the championship. Our chemistry is good. It was a good win. I think this was our best luck and preparation was enough," she said.

Botes also highlighted the importance of structure and consistency in the team's development.

"We scored a lot of goals in this tournament. Everything is structured, everything is planned. We need more consistency in planning and preparation. This is the start for the future of Ugandan football. We have started seeing positivity and I hope there will be consistency," she concluded.

Uganda came into the final as defending champions after a perfect group stage. They topped Group B with nine points from three matches without conceding, scoring 20 goals before adding more in the knockout stage.

The Teen Cranes had also won the inaugural 2019 edition, where they topped the round-robin format with 13 points and sealed the title with a 2-0 win over Kenya.

Tanzania reached the final in strong form after topping Group A, which included a 10-1 win over Sudan and a 4-0 victory over Somalia.

In the final, Uganda started strongly, pressing the hosts and winning three early corners. Brenda Nassaka tested the goalkeeper in the 8th minute, while Tanzania struggled to cope with Uganda's attacking pressure.

Neema Mutunzi was booked in the 15th minute after fouling Shadia Nabirye as Uganda continued to dominate.

Justine Ayerango gave Uganda the breakthrough in the 38th minute before Nassaka made it 2-0 just before halftime in the 43rd minute.

Uganda sealed the win early in the second half when Flavia Yagala scored in the 47th minute after a pass from Nassaka to make it 3-0.

From there, the Teen Cranes controlled the game comfortably, limiting Tanzania's chances and managing possession until the final whistle.

In the third-place playoff, Kenya defeated South Sudan 7-0.

The CECAFA U-17 Women's Championship featured eight teams: Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, South Sudan, and Sudan.