Uganda stun Senegal, Burkina Faso dump champions Germany as Africa’s youngsters light up U-17 World Cup
Uganda and Burkina Faso delivered the shocks of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025™ Round of 32 on Saturday, with the tournament debutants edging Senegal 1-0 before the Burkinabè knocked out holders Germany by the same scoreline.
South Africa and Tunisia exited after defeats to Japan and Austria respectively, while the last-16 line-up was completed with progress for England, Italy, Japan, Korea DPR, Austria and Uzbekistan.
Uganda struck early and held their nerve. Abubakali Walusimbi’s thumping drive from distance on 15 minutes beat Senegal goalkeeper Serigne Diouf to give the East Africans a lead they would not relinquish.
The Lions of Teranga, who had not conceded in the group stage, threw everything forward but found Edrisah Waibi in inspired form.
The goalkeeper, later named Player of the Match, produced a string of saves—his best a sharp stop from Mignane Ndour’s clean volley—as a penalty award was overturned and a late leveller ruled out for offside.
Waibi said the victory was built on character as much as tactics: “It was a good game; we played well. The physicality made it tough, but we were strong. It’s massive for my team to be in the last 16.”
Coach Brian Ssenyondo praised his side’s bravery: “We showed character, spirit and resilience. As tough as Senegal were, we fought for everything and deserved to win.”
Striker Alwaly Camara reflected on Senegal’s missed chances: “We should have won. We had three or four early opportunities. Mistakes cost you—next time, maybe things go our way.”
If Uganda’s win raised eyebrows, Burkina Faso’s result sent tremors through the tournament. Mohamed Zongo punished a German error on five minutes, cutting inside from the right to curl a stunning finish into the far corner.
Germany, champions in Indonesia two years ago, camped in the Burkinabè half after the break and thought they had equalised deep into stoppage time, but Benno Kaltefleiter’s close-range effort was ruled offside.
Burkina Faso coach Oscar Barro hailed a “flawless” display: “My young players showed tenacity, commitment and solidarity—these are warriors. They knew what they wanted and proved it on the pitch.”
Germany coach Marc-Patrick Meister admitted his side were short of their usual levels: “We didn’t play well and made a lot of mistakes with the ball. We kept going and were one goal short of penalties, but credit to my boys for the fight.”
Elsewhere, Japan’s high tempo proved too much for South Africa in a 3-0 win. After a goalless first half, Hiroto Asada poked home at the third attempt, Minato Yoshida added a composed second and substitute Shota Fujii headed a third to end Bafana Bafana’s campaign.
Tunisia also bowed out late, undone 2-0 by Austria as Johannes Moser converted an 83rd-minute penalty before a deflected effort off Mazen Slama Essefi sealed it a minute later.
Saturday’s results complete the last-16 cast, with Uganda and Burkina Faso joining England, Italy and Japan—each comfortable winners on the day—alongside Korea DPR, Austria and Uzbekistan.
For African fans, the headlines belonged to two bold, disciplined performances: Uganda’s first World Cup knockout victory and Burkina Faso’s dethroning of the champions.