Rwanda’s U-20 team will begin its bid for a place at the 2026 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations against hosts Tanzania and Ethiopia in the CECAFA U-20 Championship in September.
The regional tournament will run from Sept. 15 to 25 at Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam, with Rwanda drawn in Group A alongside Tanzania and Ethiopia.
Tanzania will provide a particularly difficult test for Rwanda after winning the previous CECAFA U-20 Championship in 2024.
The other groups have Uganda, Sudan and Djibouti in Group B, while South Sudan, Kenya and Burundi are in Group C.
The three group winners will advance directly to the semifinals, joined by the best-performing runner-up from the three groups.
The two teams that reach the final will qualify as CECAFA’s representatives at the 2026 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.
Rwanda will be looking to improve on its 2024 campaign, when it failed to progress from the group stage and missed out on a place in the semifinals.
The team will therefore need to finish among the strongest sides in the tournament to keep its continental hopes alive.
The CECAFA championship will give Rwanda another opportunity to compete against leading youth teams from the region as it seeks to return to the continental stage.
