Queen Cranes 90 minutes from history as they face Ghana

FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup African Qualifiers 2026

Saturday (Kadiba stadium)

Second leg

Uganda v Ghana 4pm

Aggregate score

Uganda 1 Ghana 2

Uganda’s U-20 Women’s National Team, the Queen Cranes, have 90 minutes to keep their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup dream alive when they face Ghana on Saturday at FUFA Stadium, Kadiba.

Uganda goes into the second leg trailing 2-1 on aggregate after losing the first leg in Accra earlier this week.

Captain Agnes Nabukenya gave Uganda hope in the first leg with a 32nd-minute goal, but Ghana fought back in the second half through Priscilla Mensah and Latifah Abesik to take a narrow advantage.

The Queen Cranes returned home on Tuesday and resumed training at FUFA Hotel in Kisaasi, focusing on overturning the result.

Head coach Sheryl Ulanda Botes said the team must be strong and focused in the decisive match.

"We know it will be difficult against Ghana, but we must show character, stay consistent and fight for our people to reach the World Cup," she said.

Uganda has one key advantage: an away goal. To qualify, they must win and avoid conceding.

A 1-0 win will send Uganda through on away goals. A 2-1 win will take the match to penalties after a level aggregate score. Any draw or failure to win will see Ghana progress.

This means Uganda must attack with purpose but remain disciplined in defence. In the first leg, goalkeeper Lilian Nakirya made five saves. An early goal could put Ghana under pressure, but avoiding mistakes at the back will be crucial.

Botes admitted the team must improve on consistency after the first-leg performance.

"We need to improve on consistency. In Ghana we scored first but conceded twice in the second half. We must correct that," she said.

She also called on fans to support the team in large numbers.

"We need all the support from the people of Uganda. We are going to fight and make you proud. World Cup qualification is a high possibility. We are going to do this for the Ugandan people," she said.

Uganda is aiming to qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup for the first time. If successful, the Queen Cranes will become only the second Ugandan team to reach a FIFA World Cup, after the U-17 men’s team.

Last year, Uganda’s U-17 men’s team made history by qualifying for their first-ever FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2025. They reached the Round of 16, beating France and Senegal before losing to Burkina Faso on penalties.

The U-17 boys are now preparing for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations 2026, where they will open their campaign against DR Congo next Wednesday. Other teams in Group B are Ivory Coast and Cameroon.

At the U-17 AFCON, all quarter-finalists will qualify automatically for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, making every match important. The top two teams in each group will progress to the quarter-finals.