Former Ghanaian international Laryea Kingston expressed his delight after guiding Uganda to qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup following their dramatic penalty shootouts victory over Black Starlets.
Uganda defeated Ghana 8-7 on penalties after an entertaining 2-2 draw in regulation time during the U-17 AFCON qualification playoffs.
Ghana took an early lead through Eric Adu Gyamfi before Owen Mukisa restored parity for Uganda before halftime.
The Black Starlets regained the advantage in the second half through Abdul Latif Wunzalgu, but Uganda once again fought back with Arafat Ibanda converting a late penalty to send the game into a shootout.
After the game, Uganda U-17 head coach Kingston praised his players for their resilience and composure in overcoming Ghana to secure a place at the World Cup.
“We are there. We are in the World Cup now. It came out the hard way. Playing against Ghana is not an easy thing,” Kingston said.
The former Ghana international also applauded his side’s overall performance throughout the contest.
“We took the game to them but they got the goal. Throughout the 90 minutes, we were using the ball very well. I give credit to the boys,” he added.
The result means Uganda have secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup scheduled for November, while Ghana’s painful wait for a return to the global tournament continues.
The Black Starlets have now gone nine years without appearing at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with their last participation coming at the 2017 tournament in India.
