The Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa) has confirmed Rwanda as the host country for its U-17 Nations Championship this year.

Nine countries will take part in the two-week tournament, scheduled for December 13-28.

Neighbours Tanzania will host the U-20 championship from November 22 to December 6.

Both regional tournaments will double as qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in the respective age brackets. 

At the Cecafa meeting last Saturday, October 10, in Arusha, Tanzania, it was agreed that all delegations – players, coaches and staff – will undergo Covid-19 testing before the competitions for safety measures against the pandemic. 

Rwanda has not featured at the AFCON U-20 or U-17 finals since hosting the tournaments’ 2009 and 2011 editions, respectively. 

While the Amavubi U-20 side bowed out of the tournament from the group stage, the U-17 Amavubi starlets defied the odds to reach the final as they qualified for the 2011 Fifa World U-17 World Cup, held in Mexico.

To date, Rwanda remains the only Cecafa country to ever compete in any Fifa World Cup.

Meanwhile, this publication has learned that Rwanda will not partake in the U-20 championship in Tanzania. 

Weekend Sport repeatedly tried to reach Regis Uwayezu, the Secretary-General of Rwanda football federation (Ferwafa), for a comment about why Rwanda will snub the tournament but the official did not pick up our calls.

Confirmed nations for Cecafa U-17: 

Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and hosts Rwanda.

Confirmed nations for Cecafa U-20: 

Somalia, Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and hosts Tanzania.