U-17 coach Laryea Kingston confident after Mozambique win ahead of AFCON

Pre-AFCON Cup Friendly

Results

Uganda 3 Mozambique 1

Saturday

Mali v Uganda

Uganda U-17 head coach Laryea Kingston has shown strong confidence in his squad, revealing that he now has two competitive teams as the Uganda Cubs make final preparations for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Speaking after Uganda’s 3-1 victory over Mozambique in a pre-AFCON Cup friendly played in Casablanca on Tuesday, Kingston said the players have improved quickly.

"When I look at the team one month ago, and when I look at them now, I can say the boys are good and adapting. They are improving and they are good at learning," Kingston said.

The Cubs put up a strong performance at the Annexe Terrain Mohammed V, with Brian Olwo scoring in the first half before Arafat Ibanda added a second-half brace to secure the win. Mozambique scored once, but Uganda remained in control throughout the game.

Kingston said the team now has depth, which gives him confidence ahead of the tournament.

"I want to build a competitive team. Right now, I have two teams. The first eleven can give me any result, and the second team is very good too. They understand everything we teach them as a technical team," he said.

He added that the focus is on building a strong side that can compete at the highest level.

"We need to build a formidable team that can compete in all stages in the world," he noted.

The coach also stressed the need for consistency, saying the current squad must match the performance of the previous U-17 team.

"The previous U-17 performed very well. We need to do the same. Since I joined, I introduced my style of play, and they have been adapting," he added.

Kingston revealed that the team has worked on weaknesses identified during the CECAFA tournament, especially recovery and player expression.

"During CECAFA, we had weaknesses in our recovery. For the first two weeks in camp, we took it slowly. I told them to express themselves more, and so far I see them improving," he explained.

Uganda is in Group B at the AFCON U-17 tournament alongside Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and DR Congo. The competition kicks off next week in Morocco.

Kingston said the main target is clear.

"Our target is to qualify again for the World Cup," he said.

Uganda will play Mali in their final friendly match on Saturday as they complete preparations.

At the tournament, 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 advance to the quarter-finals.

Uganda heads into the competition with confidence after reaching the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2025, where they defeated France and Senegal before losing to Burkina Faso on penalties.