The U-20 national football team has been eliminated from the CECAFA U-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers after playing out a goalless draw against Ethiopia and finishing the group stage with just one point. The match was played on Thursday, September 17 at Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Needing victory to keep their hopes of progression alive, Rwanda struggled to break down Ethiopia and were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw. The result leaves Amavubi with only one point from two matches, having opened their campaign with a 3-0 defeat to hosts and defending champions Tanzania. The draw marked Rwanda’s first point of the tournament but was not enough to keep them in contention for a place in the semi-finals. With their group-stage campaign now complete, Rwanda can no longer qualify regardless of the outcome of the remaining Group A fixture between Tanzania and Ethiopia. The group stage will conclude on Saturday with three crucial fixtures. Kenya will face South Sudan in Group C, Sudan will take on Uganda in Group B, while Ethiopia meet hosts Tanzania in the decisive Group A encounter. Meanwhile, Burundi became the first team to secure a semi-final berth in the ongoing qualifiers. After opening their campaign with a commanding 4-0 victory over South Sudan, Burundi followed up with a 2-0 win against Kenya on Thursday to seal qualification from Group C. Under the tournament format, the three group winners and the best second-placed team will advance to the semi-finals scheduled for September 22.
