CAF confirms Final Draw procedures for TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026

The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has confirmed the draw procedures for the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2026 that will see the best young talent on the continent vie for the prestigious trophy and a place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026. 

The Final Draw will take place in Cairo, Egypt on 08 April 2026 and will be streamed live on CAF TV from 14h00 local time / 12h00 GMT.

The 16 qualified teams to be divided into four groups of four teams each.

The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, and 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 groups will determine the remaining two places at the global finals.

Aside from the hosts, the qualified teams for 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.

The seeding for the draw is based on performances in the last three editions of the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON, with the cancelled 2021 edition excluded. The most recent tournaments carry greater weight. 

Based on this system, hosts and defending champions Morocco will be placed in Group A, while the runners-up from the last edition, Mali, will be the top seed in Group C.

The remaining teams have been allocated into four pots. Pot 1 will contain the next highest ranked sides, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. Pot 2 includes South Africa, Cameroon, Angola and Tunisia. Pot 3 will feature Uganda, Egypt, Algeria and Tanzania and Pot 4 will comprise Ethiopia, Ghana, DR Congo and Mozambique.

The draw will then proceed by filling positions in a set order. Teams drawn from Pot 4 will be allocated to A4, B4, C4 and D4 in that order. Teams drawn from Pot 3 will fill A3, B3, C3 and D3. Pot 2 teams will be drawn into A2, B2, C2 and D2. 

Finally, the two teams in Pot 1 will complete the seeded line-up by filling positions B1 and D1. For more information on TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON Morocco 2026, visit www.cafonline.com.

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CAF | Communication Department