Zzungu admits room for improvement despite dominant run to semifinals
Represented by St. Mary's Boarding School Kitende, the reigning CECAFA champions opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against hosts Zimbabwe on Easter Monday before bouncing back.
Courtesy photo
CAF African Schools Football Championship 2026
Uganda’s Group A matches:
Game 1: Zimbabwe 1 Uganda 1
Game 2: Uganda 6 DRC 0
Game 3: Uganda 3 Morocco 0
Semi-finals (Boys) Thursday 9th
Uganda V Benin
Morocco V Senegal
Uganda head coach Hassan Zzungu has admitted his side still has more to improve despite a dominant run to the semifinals of the CAF African Schools Football Championship 2026 in Harare, Zimbabwe.
"We are so happy to have made it to the knockout round. One of our objectives was to qualify as group leaders, which we achieved. Now, we have to plan for the semifinal opponent as the target is winning the tournament," Zzungu said.
Represented by St. Mary's Boarding School Kitende, the reigning CECAFA champions opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against hosts Zimbabwe on Easter Monday before bouncing back.
They thrashed the Democratic Republic of Congo 6-0 in their second match, with Owen Mukisa leading the charge with a hat-trick. Musa Kironde scored the second goal early, Mukisa added two more before halftime, while Ivan Kakinda and Emmanuel Opio sealed the victory.
Uganda carried the same momentum into their final group game, defeating Morocco 3-0. Lucky Wanyama scored a quick-fire brace inside the opening minutes, before captain Mukisa added the third goal to complete a perfect response after the opening draw.
"We have shown great character after the first game. The boys responded well, scored goals, and stayed disciplined defensively, but we know the next stage will be more demanding," Zzungu added.
Uganda finished the group stage with 10 goals scored and just one conceded, collecting seven points out of a possible nine to qualify alongside Morocco. They will now face Benin in the semifinals on Thursday in Harare.
"We respect Benin, but we believe in ourselves. If we stay focused, keep our teamwork, and maintain our scoring form, we have a strong chance to reach the final," Zzungu noted.
Kitende qualified for the continental finals after winning the national Ball Games II title in Tororo and later lifting the CECAFA crown in December 2025. The school has now reached the continental finals three times.
Meanwhile, the semifinalists in the girls' category include defending champions Ghana, Morocco, Burkina Faso, and Zambia.
The competition, now in its fourth edition, was launched in 2021 by CAF President Patrice Motsepe to promote youth football across the continent. Millions of boys and girls have since taken part, with tens of thousands of schools from across Africa involved, making it one of the biggest school competitions globally.
Winners in both the boys' and girls' categories will receive sh300,000, with runners-up earning sh200,000 and third place taking sh150,000.