2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations
16th edition of U-17 AFCON
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The 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (Arabic: كأس أمم إفريقيا لأقل من 17 سنة 2026), officially known as the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, or simply the 2026 U-17 AFCON, is the 16th edition (21st if editions held as World Cup qualifiers are included) of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, an annual international youth football tournament contested by African under-17 national teams and organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). It is being hosted by Morocco for the second consecutive time from 13 May to 2 June 2026.[1]
| |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Morocco |
| Dates | 13 May – 2 June |
| Teams | 16 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue | 4 (in 4 host cities) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 24 |
| Goals scored | 55 (2.29 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Yacine Abed Abdoulaye Touré Mohamed Moustache Imran Talai Razaki Mbegelendi Joseph Narbi(2 goals each) |
← 2025 2027 →
All statistics correct as of 20 May 2026. | |
The top 10 teams will qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar as CAF representatives.
Morocco are the defending champions, having won their first title in 2025.[2]
Qualification
A total of 48 (out of 54) CAF member associations registered for the regional qualification phase of the competition. Congo withdrew from the qualifiers,[3] while Equatorial Guinea were disqualified after several players failed MRI eligibility tests.[4]
Of the 16 qualified teams, 11 participated in the previous edition. Algeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Mozambique return to the tournament, while DR Congo make their debut.[5]
Qualified teams
The following teams qualified for the tournament.
| Team | Zone | Date of qualification | Appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morocco (hosts) | North Zone | 16 December 2024 | 5th | 2025 | Champions (2025) |
 Egypt | 2 April 2026 | 5th | 2025 | Champions (1997) | |
| Algeria | 2 April 2026 | 3rd | 2023 | Runners-up (2009) | |
 Tunisia | 2 April 2026 | 5th | 2025 | Third place (2013) | |
 Senegal | West A Zone | 15 October 2025 | 5th | 2025 | Champions (2023) |
| Mali | 15 October 2025 | 11th | 2025 | Champions (2015, 2017) | |
 Ivory Coast | West B Zone | 30 September 2025 | 7th | 2025 | Champions (2013) |
| Ghana | 30 September 2025 | 8th | 2017 | Champions (1995, 1999) | |
 Cameroon | Central Zone | 24 February 2026 | 10th | 2025 | Champions (2003, 2019) |
 DR Congo | 24 February 2026 | 1st | None | Debut | |
| Tanzania | Central-East Zone | 30 November 2025 | 4th | 2025 | Group stage (2017, 2019, 2025) |
 Uganda | 30 November 2025 | 3rd | 2025 | Group stage (2019, 2025) | |
 Ethiopia | 2 December 2025 | 4th | 2003 | Fourth place (1997) | |
 South Africa | South Zone | 18 September 2025 | 6th | 2025 | Runners-up (2015) |
 Angola | 18 September 2025 | 6th | 2025 | Third place (2019) | |
 Mozambique | 20 September 2025 | 3rd | 2001 | Group stage (1995, 2001) |
Draw
The draw took place on 8 April 2026 at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, at 12:00 (GMT).[6] The draw was conducted by African stars playing in the Egyptian Premier League; Fiston Mayele (DR Congo), Aliou Dieng (Mali) and Ahmed Belhadji (Morocco).
The 16 teams were divided into four pots of 4, and were seeded based on their performances in the last three editions of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (2019, 2023, and 2025). Hosts Morocco were automatically placed in position A1, while previous edition runners-up Mali were assigned to position C1. The remaining teams were drawn into the rest of the available positions.
Venues
All matches are held in the Rabat metropolitan area. The Moulay Hassan Stadium hosted the opening match, both semi-finals, and the final, while the remaining fixtures are staged at the pitches of the Mohammed VI Football Academy.
| Rabat | Salé |
|---|---|
| Moulay El Hassan Stadium | Mohammed VI Football Academy (3 pitches) |
| Capacity: 22,000 | |
 |
 |
Squads
Players born on 1 January 2009 or later are eligible to participate in this tournament.
Match officials
- Referees
Rafiq Aouina
Rodrigue Bigirimana
Willy Ngah
Tuonifere Soro
Louis Mwamba
Mahmoud Wafa
Gerson Esono Angono
Abdallah Jammeh
Amoah Reginald-Collins
Emmanuel Mensah
Arnaud Zafimahatoha
Mohamed El Baroudi
Antsino Twanyanyukwa- Naftal Negongo
Mohamed Ali Moussa
Kasimu Abdulsalam
Elhadji Amadou Sy
Ahmed Hussein
Ahmed Arajiga
Fabrice Senyo
Abdellaoui Fredj
Lucky Kasalirwe
Hillary Hambaba
- Assistant referees
- Yacine Ouerd-Benslama
Dofinte Lamien- Herve Nduwayo
- Vincent Nkemazem
Wilfried Oriya-Zaoubaye
Ali Hatoup Daoud
Vital Mapangoulou- Archange Matalatala
Eleyeh Robleh- Mohamed Magdy
Junior Assoughe
Mohamed Al-Teer- Larenion Miladera
- Sakina Hamidou Alfa
Emmanuel Habumugisha
Cledwin Baloyi
Luis Ferreira
Shaji Padayachy- Kassim Mpanga
- Yassine Saadaoui
- Brianson Musisi
- Nancy Kasitu
Group stage
Tiebreakers
Teams were ranked according to the three points for a win system (3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:
- Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, if two teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are applied exclusively to these two teams;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Drawing of lots.
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morocco (H) |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7 | Knockout stage and FIFA U-17 World Cup |
| 2 | Egypt |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Ethiopia |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | FIFA U-17 World Cup play-off |
| 4 | Tunisia |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 1 |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ivory Coast |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 | Knockout stage and FIFA U-17 World Cup |
| 2 | Cameroon |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| 3 | Uganda |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | FIFA U-17 World Cup play-off |
| 4 | DR Congo |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 |
| Ivory Coast | 2–0 | Cameroon |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| DR Congo | 0–1 | Ivory Coast |
|---|---|---|
| Report | H. Diabaté  90+2' (pen.) |
| Ivory Coast | 2–2 | Uganda |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanzania |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 6 | Knockout stage and FIFA U-17 World Cup |
| 2 | Mali |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 | |
| 3 | Mozambique |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | FIFA U-17 World Cup play-off |
| 4 | Angola |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 1 |
| Tanzania | 3–0 | Mozambique |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
| Mozambique | 1–1 | Mali |
|---|---|---|
| Pelembe 5' |
Report | Sylla 65' |
| Angola | 1–2 | Mozambique |
|---|---|---|
| Francisco 27' |
Report |
|
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senegal |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | Knockout stage and FIFA U-17 World Cup |
| 2 | Algeria |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4[a] | |
| 3 | Ghana |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4[a] | FIFA U-17 World Cup play-off |
| 4 | South Africa |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 3 |
- Tied on head-to-head, points, goal difference, and goals scored. Algeria were drawn over Ghana by CAF, according to the regulations of the tournament.
| Senegal | 1–2 | South Africa |
|---|---|---|
| Thior 44' |
Report |
|
| South Africa | 0–2 | Algeria |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Abed 41', 85' |
| South Africa | 1–3 | Ghana |
|---|---|---|
| Mhlongo 65' |
Report |
Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, penalty shoot-out are used to decide the winners should a match is tied after 90 minutes. (Regulations Article 75).
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 24 May – Salé (pitch 8) | ||||||||||
| Morocco | ||||||||||
| 28 May – Rabat | ||||||||||
| Cameroon | ||||||||||
| QF1 | ||||||||||
| 24 May – Salé (pitch 3) | ||||||||||
| QF4 | ||||||||||
| Senegal | ||||||||||
| 2 June – Rabat | ||||||||||
| Mali | ||||||||||
| SF1 | ||||||||||
| 24 May – Salé (pitch 11) | ||||||||||
| SF2 | ||||||||||
| Tanzania | ||||||||||
| 28 May – Rabat | ||||||||||
| Algeria | ||||||||||
| QF3 | ||||||||||
| 24 May – Salé (pitch 11) | ||||||||||
| QF2 | Third place match | |||||||||
| Ivory Coast | ||||||||||
| 1 June – Salé (pitch 8) | ||||||||||
| Egypt | ||||||||||
| LSF1 | ||||||||||
| LSF2 | ||||||||||
Play-off matches
The winners qualify for the 2026 U-17 World Cup.
| Ethiopia | PO1 | Mozambique |
|---|---|---|
Quarter-finals
| Ivory Coast | QF1 | Egypt |
|---|---|---|
Semi-finals
| QF2 | SF1 | QF3 |
|---|---|---|
| QF1 | SF2 | QF4 |
|---|---|---|
Third place match
| SF1 | v | SF2 |
|---|---|---|
Final
| SF1 | v | SF2 |
|---|---|---|
Goalscorers
There have been 55 goals scored in 24 matches, for an average of 2.29 goals per match (as of 20 May 2026).
2 goals
- Yacine Abed
Abdoulaye Touré- Mohamed Moustache
- Imran Talai
- Razaki Mbegelendi
- Joseph Narbi
1 goal
- Adam Benali
- Ilyès Mekkaoui
- Melwane Zaidi
Eliseu Francisco- Abdoulraman Soudeisse
- Oumar Tsombeng
- Amir Abou El-Ezz
- Mohamed Gamal
- Ziad Soudi
Dawit Kasaw- Amir Misbah
- Augustine Appiah
- Robinho Gavi
- Eric Gyamfi
- Harafat Diabaté
- Koudougnon Drebo
- Souleymane Koné
- Ange Nomane
- Hubert Yao
- Youssif Sylla
- Ilian Hadidi
Charif Carlos- Allan de Figueiredo
- Diego Pelembe
- Cheikh Dieng
- Ibrahima Dione
- Souleymane Faye
- Cheikh Thior
- Obama Mhlongo
- Inganathi Simama
- Sadam Hamis
- Hasan Kizinga
- Hassan Mkindai
- Dismas Shida
- Yahya Jlidi
- Moncef Thabti
- Abdulshakur Babi
- Arafat Ibanda
- Nicholas Kawooya
- Henry Muhoozi
- Owen Mukisa
1 own goal
- Pascoal Miambo (against Tanzania)
- Cheikh Thior (against South Africa)
Qualified teams for FIFA U-17 World Cup
The following ten teams from CAF qualified for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
| Team | Qualified on | Previous appearances in FIFA U-17 World Cup1 |
|---|---|---|
| Tanzania | 17 May 2026 | 0 (debut) |
| Ivory Coast | 19 May 2026 | 5 (1987, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2025) |
| Cameroon | 2 (2003, 2019) | |
| Morocco | 3 (2013, 2023, 2025) | |
| Egypt | 3 (1987, 1997, 2025) | |
| Mali | 20 May 2026 | 7 (1997, 1999, 2001, 2015, 2017, 2023, 2025) |
| Senegal | 3 (2019, 2023, 2025) | |
| Algeria | 1 (2009) | |
| TBD | 23 May 2026 | 0 (debut) |
| TBD |
- 1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.