Ethiopia’s Under-17 Team Loses 4-0 to Uganda but Still Has a Chance to Qualify

Uganda beat Ethiopia’s under-17 men’s team 4-0 on Saturday in Kigali, Rwanda. The win sent Uganda to the final of the regional qualifiers for the 2027 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). It also gave Uganda a place at the 2027 tournament.

Ethiopia still has one more chance. The qualifiers are run by the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA). It said the two finalists and the winner of a play-off for third place will go to the tournament. Ethiopia will play in that game on Monday, October 19.

Four Goals Before Halftime

Uganda scored all of its goals in the first half at Kigali Pelé Stadium. The first came after only two minutes, CECAFA reported. Arnold Kayemba scored the second five minutes later. It was his fourth goal of the tournament, CECAFA said.

Yusuf Ssenyonga then scored twice, in the 33rd and 38th minutes. FUFA TV, the media channel of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations, said his second goal came from a direct free kick.

Ethiopia’s best chance came in the 41st minute, when Uganda goalkeeper David Ssegirinya punched away a shot by Akrem Abduselam, CECAFA said. Ethiopia sent in three substitutes after the break, including Zemichael Minyahel, who scored against Burundi and Uganda in the group stage. Neither team scored in the second half.

The two teams had drawn 1-1 in the group stage on Wednesday at the same stadium.

Kigali Pelé Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda, where Uganda beat Ethiopia on Saturday, seen empty on October 1, 2024 (EmmysonB / Wikimedia Commons, CC0) [file photo]

The Same Road as Last Year

Rwanda, the host country, and Somalia were due to play the second semi-final later on Saturday. The loser of that game will face Ethiopia for the last place at the tournament. The final will also be played on Monday, CECAFA said.

Ethiopia has been in this position before. Uganda also beat Ethiopia 3-0 in the semi-finals of the last regional qualifiers, New Vision, a Ugandan newspaper, reported. That game was in Addis Ababa on November 30, 2025. Two days later, Ethiopia beat Kenya 3-0 in the play-off and took the last place, Pulse Sports Kenya reported. The team then played at the Under-17 AFCON in Morocco earlier this year.

Ethiopia’s Clubs in Tripoli and at Home

On Friday, Al Ahli Tripoli of Libya beat Welwalo Adigrat University 4-0 in the Confederation Cup. The competition is run by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and this was the first leg of its second qualifying round.

The game counted as Welwalo’s home game, but it was played at Tripoli International Stadium. Earlier this month, the club said it could not raise enough money to host the game in Ethiopia, Soccer Ethiopia reported.

Al Ahli Tripoli led 2-0 at halftime after goals in the 14th and 21st minutes, Eram News reported. It scored twice more after the break. CAF said four different players scored. The return game is also in Tripoli, on Saturday, October 24, according to Eram News. CAF said Welwalo now faces “a difficult task” in that game.

A street in Adigrat, Ethiopia, the home town of Welwalo Adigrat University, in 2019 (Rod Waddington / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0) [file photo]

Sidama Bunna, the Ethiopian champion, plays its first leg in the CAF Champions League on Sunday. It hosts Al Hilal Omdurman of Sudan at Dire Dawa Stadium at 4 p.m. Ethiopia time, according to the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA).

At home, the second week of the Ethiopian Premier League began on Friday. Halaba Ketema beat Bahir Dar Ketema 1-0 for its first win of the season. Yonatan Hailu scored the goal in the 47th minute, Soccer Ethiopia reported. Ethio Electric and Negelle Arsi drew 0-0. Adama Ketema and Sheger Ketema also drew 0-0 at the stadium of Adama Science and Technology University.