Egypt seal qualification for TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026
Egypt booked their place at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 with a 2-1 victory over hosts Libya in the fourth round of the UNAF qualifiers played on Thursday.
Egypt join hosts Morocco in the 16-team continental finals from the North African region, but there is still one place up for grabs that will be decided on the final day.
Algeria just need to avoid a heavy defeat to Egypt in their final game on Sunday and they will seal qualification.
They have four points from three games so far with a +1 goal difference. Tunisia are the only side who can overhaul them, though they have completed their matches. The latter also have four points but a -2 goal difference.
Algeria would need to lose by four clear goals in order to drop below Tunisia, as their goals scored record (6 vs 3) is also superior. Algeria and Tunisia played to a 1-1 draw in their encounter on Thursday.
Egypt sealed their qualification with victory over Libya thanks to second-half goals from Ahmed Safwat and Mohamed Gamal. They had fallen behind in the first half to a goal from Mohamed Kaban.
Algeria took the lead against Tunisia through Yacine Abed, but they were pegged back when Moncef Thabti equalised. Algeria were, however, able to hold on for the point that almost certainly means qualification for the continental finals.
Despite their elimination, the tournament is a historic moment for Libyan football as it is the first time the country has hosted a Zonal Union qualifier and a sign of the confidence in Libya’s ability to stage major international competitions.
The countries that have already qualified for the continental finals are Angola, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.
The nations that finish in the top 10 in Morocco will advance to the 48-team 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, which is scheduled for November.