U17 World Cup play-off: Laryea Kingston says Uganda stuck to game plan in tense win over Ghana

Uganda U-17 head coach Laryea Kingston has hailed the resilience of his squad after the Cub secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup by defeating Ghana in a tense playoff on Saturday.

The match, which ended 2-2 in regulation time before Uganda triumphed 8-7 on penalties, saw the East Africans fight back twice to secure Africa’s final slot for the global showpiece in Qatar.

Kingston, who famously resigned as Ghana’s youth coach exactly one year ago, watched his side overcome an early deficit to silence his home nation.

"Playing against Ghana is not an easy game," Kingston remarked following the emotional victory. “We took the game to them earlier on, but they got a goal and it became very difficult. Throughout the 90 minutes, we were chasing the game two times, but let me give credit to the boys. I think they did very well.

“They stick to the game plan throughout the 90 minutes. We believe in what we are doing. We believe in the style of play.

“The boys stick to it and then we started creating a lot of chances. We had a feeling that we can pull something out and I think it showed very clearly.”

Ghana opened the scoring through Eric Adu Gyamfi in the ninth minute, but Owen Mukisa restored parity before halftime.

The Black Starlets regained the lead via Abdul Latif Wunzalgu, only for Uganda to force penalties with a 91st-minute equalizer from Arafat Ibanda.

The result marks only the second time Uganda has reached the U-17 World Cup, while extending Ghana's long absence from the tournament to nine years.