The Final Draw was concluded at CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday and can be viewed here. Current African stars Fiston Mayele (Pyramids FC and DR Congo), Aliou Dieng (Al Ahly and Mali) and Ahmed Belhadji (Ceramica Cleopatra and Morocco) assisted with the ceremony.
With only the top two teams in each of the pools advancing to the quarter-finals, that will be a hotly contested group that mirrors the recent UNAF qualifiers in Libya, which were won by Morocco.
Former champions Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon are in Group B along with Uganda and debutants DR Congo. Two-time winners Cameroon were victors as recently as 2019, while the Ivorians lifted the trophy in 2013.
Last year’s runners-up Mali are in Group C along with the Southern African duo of Angola and Mozambique, as well as East African side Tanzania. Mali were champions in 2015 and 2017.
The 2023 winners Senegal headline Group D, where they face 2015 silver medallists South Africa, Algeria and two-time winners Ghana. The latter were champions in 1995 and 1999.
The eight quarter-finalists automatically qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be played in Qatar later this year, while the teams that finish third in their pools will take part in two play-off matches to determine the final two qualifiers.
Ten African nations will again be present at the global finals.
TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026:
GROUP A: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Ethiopia
GROUP B: Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Uganda, DR Congo
GROUP C: Mali, Angola, Tanzania, Mozambique
GROUP D: Senegal, South Africa, Algeria, Ghana
For more information on the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON Morocco 2026, visit www.cafonline.com