African stars Mayele, Dieng and Belhadji to assist TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 AFCON Morocco 2026 Final Draw on Wednesday
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The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has confirmed the line-up of African stars who will assist with Wednesday’s Final Draw for the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2026 in Cairo, Egypt.
The Final Draw will take place at CAF Headquarters at 14h00 local time (12h00 GMT) and will be streamed live on CAF TV.
Three current African stars will participate in the draw proceedings: Fiston Mayele (Pyramids FC and DR Congo), Aliou Dieng (Al Ahly and Mali) and Ahmed Belhadji (Ceramica Cleopatra and Morocco).
DR Congo international striker Mayele finished as the top scorer in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2024/25, helping Pyramids FC to their maiden continental title.
Dieng has been a key figure in midfield for both club and country for several seasons. Although he spent the last campaign on loan in Saudi Arabia, he remains one of Mali’s standout performers and is also a former junior international.
Morocco’s Belhadji has been an influential presence in midfield for Ceramica Cleopatra in recent seasons and has also represented several other Egyptian clubs, including Zamalek.
The 16 qualified teams will be divided into four groups of four. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage, while the eight quarter-finalists will automatically qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026.
An additional set of play-off matches between the teams that finish third in their respective groups will determine the remaining two African representatives at the global finals.
Joining hosts Morocco at the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON Morocco 2026 are Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda from CECAFA; Angola, Mozambique and South Africa from COSAFA; Senegal and Mali from WAFU A; Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana from WAFU B; Cameroon and DR Congo from UNIFFAC; and Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia from UNAF.
For more information on the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON Morocco 2026, visit www.cafonline.com
