The Teen Cranes, Uganda's U-17 Women's National Team closed out a perfect campaign at the 2026 CECAFA U-17 Women's Championship in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, defending the title they first won in the inaugural edition.
Coach Sheryl Ulanda Botes guided her side which had West Nile trio Vicky Atyeronimungu, Justine Ayerango and Immaculate Acen through five matches without a single defeat and more remarkably, without conceding a single goal. Scoring 26 times along the way, Uganda topped Group B with wins over Djibouti, Zanzibar and South Sudan.
The Teen Cranes then eliminated Kenya in the semifinal before closing out the hosts, Tanzania, 3-0 in the final to lift the trophy in front of the hosting crowd.
The triumph without doubts extends Uganda's steadily growing dominance in women's youth football in the CECAFA region besides underlining the impact of sustained investment in girls' football development at home.
The Championship also brought to limelight some exceptional display from our West Nile trio Vicky Atyeronimungu, Justine Ayerango and Immaculate Acen who constantly anchored the team to secure the title.
Here's how they performed.
Vicky Atyeronimungu
Vicky Atyeronimungu featuring for The Teen Cranes recently
Atyeronimungu was one of the leaders of this Uganda backline. Captaining the side in the tournament opener, the 13-0 demolition of Djibouti. She also got herself on the score sheet in that same rout.
Atyeronimungu plays domestically for Amus College WFC.
Justine Ayerango
Teen Cranes Captain Justine Ayerango (in yellow) closes down on a Kenyan defender for the ball in the Semi-Final Match
As the captain, Ayerango led the Teen Cranes from the front for the remainder of the tournament and finished among the side's top scorers striking against Djibouti, South Sudan, Zanzibar and in the final itself against Tanzania. Her composed finish in the 38th minute of the final broke the deadlock and set Uganda on course for the title.
Justine plies her trade with Rines SS WFC.
Immaculate Acen
Immaculate Acen (middle, Jersey 11) celebrates a goal alongside her Teen Cranes teammates
Acen was just as lethal in the final third, scoring in three of Uganda's five matches, including a brace against Djibouti and further goals against Zanzibar and in the semi-final win over Kenya. Her composure in front of goal was as constant as a thread made her a threat to the opponents through out the campaign.
She plies her trade with SIA International WFC.
