DR Congo and Gabon shine on opening day of CAF African Schools Football Championship UNIFFAC qualifiers

The CAF African Schools Football Championship UNIFFAC qualifiers got underway in Libreville, Gabon on Friday with an exciting opening day that saw DR Congo’s U-15 Girls and Gabon’s U-15 Boys emerge victorious in their respective matches.

Three countries are participating in the competition, which brings together five teams across the boys’ and girls’ categories.

In the girls’ division, only DR Congo and Gabon are competing and will face each other in a two-legged format to determine the champions. In the boys’ competition, Sao Tome and Principe joins Gabon and DR Congo, creating a three-team contest.

On the opening day, DR Congo’s girls lived up to expectations with a solid 2–0 victory over hosts Gabon, taking an early advantage in their two-match series.

Later in the day, the Gabonese boys delivered an impressive performance, dominating Sao Tome and Principe in a one-sided encounter to secure an emphatic 8–0 victory.

Sao Tome and Principe will look to regroup quickly as they continue their learning experience in the competition when they face DR Congo on Saturday.

All matches are being played at the Stade de Nzeng-Ayong, with games contested in two halves of 20 minutes each and a 10-minute break at halftime.

Beyond the results, the tournament continues to highlight’s CAF’s holistic approach to grassroots football development through its various CAF Capacity Building programmes run concurrent to the competition.

Winners of both the boys and girls divisions will represent the zone at next month's CAF African Schools Football Championship Continental Finals.