By 
The Uganda U-17 Women’s National Team, the Teen Cranes, were held to a 1-1 draw by Kenya in the first leg of the second round of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers on Friday.
Uganda made a strong start to the encounter and took the lead in the 13th minute through Shadia Nabirye, who calmly finished to give the hosts an early advantage.
Kenya responded in the second half, with Emily Adhiambo finding the equaliser in the 60th minute to leave the contest finely balanced ahead of the decisive return leg.
The two sides will meet again on May 30, 2026 at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 PM EAT. Uganda will need a positive result away from home to keep their hopes of qualifying for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup alive.
The Teen Cranes progressed to the second round after eliminating Zimbabwe 6-1 on aggregate in the opening qualification stage.
The qualifiers are being played over three rounds, with four African nations set to book places at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The tournament will run from October 17 to November 7, 2026, marking the third time the competition is being hosted on African soil. Defending champions North Korea lifted a record fourth title in 2025.
