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The Baby Victoria Pearls will head to Dar es Salaam with one clear target which is qualify for the 2027 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
Uganda’s U19 women’s national cricket team is putting the final touches to its preparations for the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier, scheduled for August 28 to September 6 in Tanzania.
The tournament presents Uganda with a chance to make amends after falling short in the previous qualifier in Gahanga, Rwanda.
Uganda failed to reach the final, paving the way for Nigeria’s Junior Female Yellow-Greens to cause an upset against favourites Zimbabwe and take Africa’s only qualification ticket.
That disappointment remains a motivation for the current squad. The team has worked on the areas that hurt them last time, with execution, middle-overs management and composure under pressure key parts of their preparations.
Their recent form offers plenty of encouragement, the Baby Victoria Pearls swept Rwanda U19 4-0 in the T20 leg of the 2026 High Performance Women’s Series at Entebbe Cricket Oval. Uganda showed strength with the ball and handled pressure well, including when defending modest totals and closing out tight matches.
Team Uganda U19 and Team Rwanda U19 pose for a joint group .
Baby Victoria Pearls erupt in celebration after taking a wicket against Rwanda U19W.
The series also helped the technical team headed by Head Coach Ivan Kakande settle on key player combinations ahead of the qualifiers.
Uganda has since stepped up preparations with a nine-day residential camp in Kololo that started on August 19. The camp has focused on fitness, tactical execution and sharpening the team’s game plan.
The provisional 16-player squad will be reduced to the final travelling team, which will be announced on Thursday August 27. Jimia Muhammad, Shadia Nabulime, Devine Nyamer and Sarah Tino are among the players competing for places.
Baby Victoria Pearls’ Joan Ilora forcefully dispatches a delivery during the 2026 High Performance Cup at Entebbe Cricket Oval.
The challenge in Tanzania will be tough. Uganda will face hosts Tanzania, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Namibia, Kenya and Malawi, with only one team earning Africa’s ticket to the 2027 World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by Bangladesh and Nepal.
Nigeria are the defending regional champions, while Zimbabwe and Namibia bring strong competition to an already demanding field.
There will be little room for mistakes. The Baby Victoria Pearls’ memories of Rwanda provide both a warning and motivation. They know what is at stake and have prepared with the lessons of their previous campaign in mind.
Now, they must turn that preparation into results and secure Uganda’s place at the World Cup.
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