Torin Ntege: Meet Uganda Cranes AFCON 2027 Prospect Turning Heads in England

African countries have benefited greatly from integrating foreign-born players in their national teams which has helped lift the standards.

Ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations that will take place between December 21 and January 18 in Morocco, nearly all the 24 teams will have a foreign-born player in their squad.

Uganda Cranes is among those nations that will rely on talents who were not born in the country but opted to don the yellow and black national colours, owing to the fact that they trace their roots to the country.

AFCON 2025 will not be the last Cranes fans see a foreign-born player turning out for the national team as there are more waiting on the wings for when they will receive a call-up.

One of those players is England-born winger Torin Ntege, who plays for West Bromwich Albion, in the English second tier, Championship.

With the Cranes crying out for more creativity and goals, Ntege could provide the solution in a not so distant future.

The 19-year-old left winger, born in Wandsworth, is a massive talent who has been cutting his teeth in the lower leagues in England and is now knocking on the door of the senior team at West Brom.

Originally from Mitcham in South London, Ntege joined West Brom in the summer of 2025, after honing his skills at English League One outfit Peterborough United’s academy.

He was not offered a contract by the club and played for non-league sides Hitchin, Mousehole AFC and Sutton Common Rovers, where he caught the eye of West Brom scouts.

Ntege likes to play on the left or right wing but has the pace and finishing ability to play through the middle and these are qualities that West Brom head coach Ryan Mason could benefit from soon.

There has already been pressure on Mason to integrate the youngster into the Championship team, this coming early last month, when he scored a banger while the Baggies were struggling for goals in the English second tier.

At the time, Ntege had scored a great goal as West Brom drew 1-1 with Stoke City in a Premier League 2 game. The teen sensation ran onto a long ball from goalkeeper Brian Okonkwo, which had been flicked on, before calmly finishing past Stoke keeper Caleb Clothier.

That was his second goal in seven Premier League 2 matches for West Brom this season, a period in which he had weighed with one assist. So far, Ntege has three goals and two assists in 18 matches across all competitions.

However, goals and assists alone do not tell the whole story as he is a player capable of lifting those around him, beating full-backs with his pace and trickery and drawing others into the attack to create and score. He is also great at pressing opposing defenders and winning possession for his team.

Ntege holds dual nationality as he is eligible to represent England and the Cranes due to the fact that he was born in London and is of Ugandan descent.

Pulse Sports understands the 19-year-old has a burning desire to play for Uganda and would jump at the opportunity if head coach Paul Put handed him a call-up.

Ntege is tied to the West Midlands club for at least two years and next on his to-do list is to sort out his international future.

With Uganda set to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, Ntege could be one of the talents that light up the tournament on home soil.

Over to you, coach Paul Put.