By Alexander Mackey Okori
The Uganda national U20 women’s team, the Queen Cranes, will take on Zambia in the third round of the 2026 African U20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers next month as they pursue a historic first World Cup berth.
The Queen Cranes were drawn against the Young Copper Queens in this penultimate round of the qualifiers, marking the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
According to the draw, Uganda will host the first leg in Kampala between February 6 and 8 before travelling to Lusaka for the return leg scheduled for February 12–14.
Head coach Sherly Botes will be aiming to make history as she also prepares to lead the U17 side, the Teen Cranes, in the first round of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe in April.
The 2026 African U20 Women’s World Cup qualification is the 13th edition of the biennial international youth football competition organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to determine Africa’s representatives at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, due to be hosted in Poland.
From this qualification process, four teams will secure slots to represent Africa at the global tournament.
In the previous round, the Queen Cranes eliminated Namibia 5–0 on aggregate, with goals from Barbra Anomo, Sylvia Kabene, Mary Kantono, Peace Muduwa, and Agnes Nabukenya.
This stage of the qualifiers will also see East African rivals Kenya and Tanzania face off, with Kenya hosting the first leg. Continental heavyweights Nigeria and Senegal, as well as Ghana and South Africa, have also been drawn against each other.
Kenya advanced after defeating Ethiopia, while Tanzania eliminated Angola. However, traditional powerhouses Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia were eliminated after failing to progress past the second round.
CAF U20 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualifier Draws
- Uganda vs Zambia
- Kenya vs Tanzania
- Ghana vs South Africa
- Cameroon vs Botswana
- Ivory Coast vs DR Congo
- Egypt vs Benin
- Nigeria vs Senegal
- Guinea-Bissau vs Malawi
