2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

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Host countriesLibya (North Zone)
Mali (West A Zone)
Ivory Coast (West B Zone)
DR Congo (Central Zone)
Ethiopia (Central-East Zone)
Zimbabwe (South Zone)
Dates11 September 2025 – 5 April 2026
Teams48
Matchesplayed35
2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
Tournament details
Host countriesLibya (North Zone)
Mali (West A Zone)
Ivory Coast (West B Zone)
DR Congo (Central Zone)
Ethiopia (Central-East Zone)
Zimbabwe (South Zone)
Dates11 September 2025 – 5 April 2026
Teams48
Tournament statistics
Matches played35
Goals scored109 (3.11 per match)
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The 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualification is a men's under-17 football competition that decided the participating teams of the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

Players born on 1 January 2009 or later were eligible to participate in the competition. The host country for the final stage of the edition is Morocco, appointed during the annual CAF Executive Committee meeting along the 2024 CAF Awards ceremony in Marrakesh, Morocco where CAF appointed the country as host.[1]

Zone Spots Teams entering qualification Did not enter
North Zone
(UNAF)		 4 spots
West A Zone
(WAFU-UFOA A)		 2 spots
West B Zone
(WAFU-UFOA B)		 2 spots
Central Zone
(UNIFFAC)		 2 spots
Central-East Zone
(CECAFA)		 3 spots
South Zone
(COSAFA)		 3 spots
Notes
  • Teams in bold qualified for the final tournament.
  • (W): Withdrew after draw

North Zone

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Morocco 4 4 0 0 10 2 +8 12 Final tournament as the host nation
2  Algeria 4 2 1 1 7 5 +2 7 Final tournament
3  Egypt 4 2 0 2 4 4 0 6
4  Tunisia 4 1 1 2 3 5 −2 4
5  Libya (H) 4 0 0 4 4 12 −8 0
Source: UNAF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(H) Hosts

West A Zone

The WAFU-UFOA Zone A qualifiers for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations will be hosted by Mali with the matches played starting 5 October 2025. The matches will be played at Bamako, Mali.

All times are local, GMT (UTC+0).

Group stage

The eight teams were drawn into two groups of four teams. The winners and the runners-up of each group advanced to the semi-finals.

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 two teams were tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 13):[2]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches match between the two tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in all group matches;
  3. Goals scored in all group matches;
  4. Drawing of lots.

If more than two teams were tied, the following criteria were applied instead:

  1. Points in matches between the tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in matches between the tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in matches between the tied teams;
  4. If after applying all criteria above, two teams were still tied, the above criteria were again applied to matches played between the two teams in question. If this did not resolve the tie, the next three criteria were applied;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Drawing of lots.

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Guinea-Bissau 3 2 1 0 7 2 +5 7 Semi-finals
2  Mali (H) 3 1 2 0 9 3 +6 5
3  Gambia 3 1 1 1 6 4 +2 4
4  Liberia 3 0 0 3 1 14 −13 0
Source: WAFU A
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Mali 6–0 Liberia
Gambia 0–2 Guinea-Bissau
J. Balde 30', 78'
Liberia 0–4 Gambia
Guinea-Bissau 1–1 Mali
Mali 2–2 Gambia
Guinea-Bissau 4–1 Liberia
 Hyne 6'

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Guinea 3 2 1 0 5 2 +3 7 Semi-finals
2  Senegal 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1 5
3  Mauritania 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1 3
4  Sierra Leone 3 0 1 2 3 6 −3 1
Source: WAFU A
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Senegal 1–1 Sierra Leone
Faye 53' Samura 11'
Mauritania 0–1 Guinea
M. Sylla 52'
Sierra Leone 1–2 Mauritania
Guinea 1–1 Senegal
S. Sylla 88' Dione 7'
Senegal 1–0 Mauritania
Diallo 47'
Guinea 3–1 Sierra Leone

Knockout stage

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
15 October – Bamako
 
 
 Guinea-Bissau0
 
18 October – Bamako
 
 Senegal4
 
 Senegal2
 
15 October – Bamako
 
 Mali0
 
 Guinea1
 
 
 Mali2
 
Third place
 
 
18 October – Bamako
 
 
 Guinea-Bissau (p)1 (4)
 
 
 Guinea1 (2)

Semi-finals

Winners qualified for 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

Guinea-Bissau 0–4 Senegal
Referee: Baboucarr Bass (Gambia)
Guinea 1–2 Mali
S. Sylla 4'
Referee: Abdelkader M'Bareck (Mauritania)

Third place play-off

Guinea-Bissau 1–1 Guinea
Ravi Ca 57' Sano 63' (pen.)
Penalties
 4–2
Referee: Aida Sy (Senegal)

Final

Senegal 2–0 Mali
Faye 40', 50'
Referee: Sulaiman Kamara (Sierra Leone)

West B Zone

The WAFU-UFOA Zone B qualifiers for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations will be hosted by Ivory Coast with the matches played between 20 September and 3 October 2025, the draw was announced on 4 September 2025.[3]

All times are local, GMT (UTC±0).

Group stage

The seven teams were drawn into two groups of three and four teams. The winners and the runners-up of each group advanced to the semi-finals.

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 two teams were tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 13):[2]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches match between the two tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in all group matches;
  3. Goals scored in all group matches;
  4. Drawing of lots.

If more than two teams were tied, the following criteria were applied instead:

  1. Points in matches between the tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in matches between the tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in matches between the tied teams;
  4. If after applying all criteria above, two teams were still tied, the above criteria were again applied to matches played between the two teams in question. If this did not resolve the tie, the next three criteria were applied;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Drawing of lots.

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ivory Coast (H) 3 2 1 0 6 1 +5 7 Semi-finals
2  Ghana 3 1 1 1 4 5 −1 4
3  Niger 3 1 0 2 4 6 −2 3
4  Togo 3 0 2 1 3 5 −2 2
Source: WAFU
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Ivory Coast 2–0 Niger
Referee: Hamidou Diero (Burkina Faso)
Togo 1–1 Ghana
Ganiou 63' (pen.) Report (GFA) Narbi 9'
Niger 3–1 Togo
 Report (FTF)
Stade Lycée Scientifique, Yamoussoukro
Ghana 0–3 Ivory Coast
Report (GFA)
Ivory Coast 1–1 Togo
Ar. Diabaté 64' Report (FTF) Amega 90+3'
Stade Lycée Scientifique, Yamoussoukro
Ghana 3–1 Niger
 Report (GFA)

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Nigeria 2 1 1 0 4 1 +3 4 Semi-finals
2  Burkina Faso 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 4
3  Benin 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0
Source: WAFU
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Burkina Faso 1–0 Benin
Koné 49'
Stade Lycée Scientifique, Yamoussoukro
Referee: Mohamed El Baroudi (Morocco)
Benin 1–4 Nigeria
Stade Lycée Scientifique, Yamoussoukro
Nigeria 0–0 Burkina Faso
Stade Lycée Scientifique, Yamoussoukro

Knockout stage

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
30 September – Yamoussoukro
 
 
 Ivory Coast2
 
3 October – Yamoussoukro
 
 Burkina Faso1
 
 Ivory Coast (p)0 (4)
 
30 September – Yamoussoukro
 
 Ghana 0 (3)
 
 Nigeria0
 
 
 Ghana2
 
Third place
 
 
3 October – Yamoussoukro
 
 
 Burkina Faso0
 
 
 Nigeria2

Semi-finals

Winners qualified for 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ivory Coast 2–1 Burkina Faso
Referee: Mohamed El Baroudi (Morocco)
Nigeria 0–2 Ghana
Report (GFA)
Referee: Kossi Fabrice Senyo (Togo)

Third place play-off

Burkina Faso 0–2 Nigeria
Stade Lycée Scientifique, Yamoussoukro
Referee: Hugues Modeste Kokora (Ivory Coast)

Final

Ivory Coast 0–0 Ghana
Penalties
  • soccer ball with check mark
  • soccer ball with check mark
  • soccer ball with red X
  • soccer ball with check mark
  • soccer ball with check mark
 4–3
  • soccer ball with check mark
  • soccer ball with check mark
  • soccer ball with red X
  • soccer ball with check mark
  • soccer ball with red X
Referee: Kossi Fabrice Senyo (Togo)

Central Zone

The UNIFFAC qualifiers for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 18–23 February 2026. The qualifying tournament draw was held on 4 February 2026. Six UNIFFAC members were originally going to compete in a single round-robin format with the top two teams qualifying for the final tournament. However, on 16 February, Congo withdrew from the competition due to a number of players being deemed overage by the MRI tests, on 18 February, Equatorial Guinea also withdrew for the same reasons.[4]

The four remaining teams were then placed in one group with the winners and the runners-up qualifying for the final tournament.[5][6]

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 two teams were tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 13):[2]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches match between the two tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in all group matches;
  3. Goals scored in all group matches;
  4. Drawing of lots.

If more than two teams were tied, the following criteria were applied instead:

  1. Points in matches between the tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in matches between the tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in matches between the tied teams;
  4. If after applying all criteria above, two teams were still tied, the above criteria were again applied to matches played between the two teams in question. If this did not resolve the tie, the next three criteria were applied;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Drawing of lots.

Results

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Cameroon 3 3 0 0 9 1 +8 9 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations
2  DR Congo (H) 3 2 0 1 5 4 +1 6
3  Gabon 3 1 0 2 5 8 −3 3
4  Central African Republic 3 0 0 3 1 7 −6 0
Source: Uniffac
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Cameroon 5–1 Gabon
Referee: Ruth Nandaiz Bilembi (Congo)
Gabon 1–3 DR Congo
Referee: Aimé Landry Belly de Sombozo (Central African Republic)
Central African Republic 0–2 Cameroon
Referee: Gerson Esono Angono (Equatorial Guinea)
DR Congo 2–1 Central African Republic
Referee: Yanick Fodouop (Cameroon)
Central African Republic 0–3 Gabon
Referee: Lambert Museka (DR Congo)
DR Congo 0–2 Cameroon
Referee: Ruth Nandaiz Bilembi (Congo)

Central-East Zone

Group stage

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Ethiopia (H) 4 3 1 0 10 4 +6 10 Semi-finals
2  Kenya 4 2 1 1 5 3 +2 7
3  Somalia 4 1 3 0 9 6 +3 6
4  South Sudan 4 1 1 2 5 9 −4 4
5  Rwanda 4 0 0 4 2 9 −7 0
Source: CECAFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) head-to-head matches; 3) Goal difference; 4) Number of goals scored.
(H) Hosts
Somalia 2–2 South Sudan
 Report
Rwanda 0–2 Ethiopia
Report
South Sudan 1–4 Ethiopia
 Report
Referee: Ismael Said Abdillahi (Djibouti)
Somalia 1–1 Kenya
An. Mohamed 55' Report Ochieng 31'
Referee: Amro Mohammed (Sudan)
Kenya 2–1 Rwanda
 Report
Ethiopia 3–3 Somalia
 Report
Rwanda 0–3 Somalia
Report
Kenya 2–0 South Sudan
 Report
South Sudan 2–1 Rwanda
 Report
Ethiopia 1–0 Kenya
Kassaw 65' Report

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Tanzania 4 4 0 0 24 1 +23 12 Semi-finals
2  Uganda 4 3 0 1 20 2 +18 9
3  Sudan 4 2 0 2 4 16 −12 6
4  Burundi 4 1 0 3 1 10 −9 3
5  Djibouti 4 0 0 4 1 21 −20 0
Source: CECAFA
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) head-to-head matches; 3) Goal difference; 4) Number of goals scored.
Tanzania 6–0 Sudan
 Report
Burundi 0–4 Uganda
Report
Sudan 0–9 Uganda
Report
Tanzania 11–0 Djibouti
 Report
Referee: Solomon Lokudo (South Sudan)
Djibouti 0–1 Burundi
Report Irabaruta 30'
Uganda 1–2 Tanzania
 Report
Burundi 0–5 Tanzania
Report
Djibouti 1–3 Sudan
 Report
Sudan 1–0 Burundi
Al-Amin Ahmed 34' Report
Uganda 6–0 Djibouti
 Report

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
30 November – Addis Ababa
 
 
 Tanzania3
 
2 December – Addis Ababa
 
 Kenya1
 
 Tanzania3
 
30 November – Addis Ababa
 
 Uganda2
 
 Ethiopia0
 
 
 Uganda3
 
Third place
 
 
2 December – Addis Ababa
 
 
 Ethiopia3
 
 
 Kenya0

South Zone

The COSAFA qualifiers for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations were held in Harare, Zimbabwe, from 11 to 20 September 2024. The draw for the groups took place on 5 August 2025.

The qualification structure was as follows:

  • Group stage: The 12 teams were divided into three groups, with the group winners and the best runner-up advancing to the knockout stage.
  • Knockout stage: The four teams advancing from the second round competed in a three-match knockout round, with the winners of the semifinals qualifying for the final tournament.

Group stage

Group A
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Mozambique 3 2 1 0 5 0 +5 7 Semi-finals
2  Comoros 3 2 1 0 6 2 +4 7
3  Zimbabwe (H) 3 0 1 2 2 4 −2 1
4  Eswatini 3 0 1 2 0 7 −7 1
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts

Group B
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  South Africa 3 3 0 0 13 2 +11 9 Semi-finals
2  Malawi 3 2 0 1 6 6 0 6
3  Zambia 3 1 0 2 6 7 −1 3
4  Madagascar 3 0 0 3 3 13 −10 0
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Group C
Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Angola 3 3 0 0 17 0 +17 9 Semi-finals
2  Lesotho 3 1 1 1 3 7 −4 4
3  Botswana 3 0 2 1 1 6 −5 2
4  Mauritius 3 0 1 2 3 11 −8 1
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Knockout stage

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
18 September – Harare
 
 
 South Africa7
 
20 September – Harare
 
 Comoros0
 
 South Africa2
 
18 September – Harare
 
 Angola1
 
 Mozambique0
 
 
 Angola1
 
Third place
 
 
20 September – Harare
 
 
 Comoros0
 
 
 Mozambique3

Goalscorers

There have been 156 goals scored in 51 matches, for an average of 3.06 goals per match (as of 18 October 2025).

8 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

See also

Notes

References

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