The Uganda U-17 Women’s National Team (Teen Cranes) officially commenced preparations for the African Qualifiers of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2026 with their first training session held on Monday, 30th March 2026 at the FUFA Technical Centre, Njeru.
The team, under the guidance of head coach Sheryl Ulanda Botes, began camp with a focus on assessing player readiness, tactical understanding, and building early combinations ahead of the crucial first-round tie against Zimbabwe.
Uganda will face Zimbabwe in a two-legged encounter scheduled for 11th and 18th April 2026, with the aggregate winner progressing to the next round of the qualifiers.
Speaking after the session, Coach Botes expressed satisfaction with the players’ application and early signs of cohesion.
‘We are happy to start our first session. The training looked good, with a good combination of play. We are very pleased with what the players can do in terms of decision-making.’
The South African tactician emphasized that while the squad has promising talent, the focus will now shift to improving intensity and sharpening performance under pressure.
‘We have good players here, but we are going to fine-tune them to play at the highest level, at higher intensity, and be able to make better decisions under pressure, because there will be pressure.’
The Teen Cranes will continue with training sessions in the coming days as the technical team works on building a competitive and well-prepared side ahead of the qualifiers.
Uganda will be aiming to progress beyond the opening round and keep alive its dream of qualifying for the global tournament.
Teen Cranes camp squad named ahead of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe
