MATCH FACTS: Burkina Faso and Zambia clash in quarter-finals of TotalEnergies CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025

Group B winners Burkina Face  in their face Group B runners-up Zambia in their TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025 quarter-final at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca on Thursday (kick-off 17:00 local time / 16:00 GMT)

This will be their first meeting at the TotalEnergies CAF U17 AFCON finals, but Burkina Faso have played six games against COSAFA nations and previously and have never lost (W5 D1).

The only time they failed to win, was a 0-0 draw against Zimbabwe in their opening game in 1999. They defeated Seychelles 4-1 in 2001, Zimbabwe 5-0 and Malawi 2-0 in the 2009 group stages and Malawi in the 2009 play-off for third, winning 3-2. They won 2-0 against South Africa at the current finals.

Burkina Faso’s six games against COSAFA member nations has produced 19 goals at 3.17 goals per game. They have scored 16 of these goals and conceded just three.

Burkina Faso have kept four clean-sheets in their previous six games against COSAFA teams at the finals.

For Zambia, it is their fifth game against West African opponents and their record reads W1 L3.

Previously against West African opponents, Zambia lost to Guinea 1-0 and Nigeria 3-1, and in between defeated Niger 2-1 in the 2015 group stages. They also lost to Nigeria in the 2023 pool phase. 

Zambia have lost their last two games to West African opposition, both against Nigeria in their final group game in 2015 and their opening game in 2023

BURKINA FASO FACTS
·      Burkina Faso are the only team to have won all three of their group games at the current finals.

·      This is the first time they have won all three group games at the finals since 2009, and the fourth time they managed to go through the group stages without losing after 1999 and 2001.

·      Burkina Faso are undefeated in their last seven games at the finals in open play. They have won six of those games and drew one, which turned out to be a semi-final loss against Senegal in 2023.

·      Burkina Faso’s last open play loss was 1-0 against Mali in their opening game in 2023.

·      Featuring at their eighth finals, Burkina Faso are in the knockout rounds for a sixth time along with 1999, 2001, 2009, 2011 and 2023. They were eliminated in the group stages in 2005 and 2007.

·      Victory will take Burkina Faso to their sixth semi-final. They have reached at least the last-4 in their previous three previous appearances, finishing third twice in 2009 and 2023, and as winners in 2011.

·      Burkina Faso’s only other quarter-final was a 2-1 win over Nigeria in 2023.

·      They have been involved in two penalty shoot-out at the finals, their 2011 semi-final ended 1-1 before they won on spot-kicks 4-2 against Congo. They lost their semi-final at the 2023 finals after the match finished 1-1, going down 5-4 to Senegal on spot-kicks.

·      Burkina Faso’s record in the knockout rounds with games decided on penalties registered as wins and losses reads P10 W6 L4 (excludes result against Guinea in 2001 semi-final which was expunged).

·      Burkina Faso have won five games in open play and one on penalties in the knockout rounds, while they have two losses in open play and one on penalties.

·      Burkina Faso’s wins in knockout games came against Mali in the 1999 semi-final, they also defeated Malawi in the play-off for third in 2009, while in 2011 they won against Congo in the semi-finals on penalties and Rwanda in the final. In 2023 they defeated Nigeria in the quarter-finals, and won against Mali in the play-off for third.

·      Burkina Faso’s losses in knockout round games came against Ghana in the 1999 final and Nigeria in the 2001 final. They lost to Algeria in the 2009 semi-finals and Senegal on penalties in the 2023 semi-finals.

·      All three teams defeating Burkina Faso in a knockout game has gone on to be champions.

·      Ashraf Tapsoba has scored in all three game thus far at the finals for the Burkinabe for a total of four goals. The last player from Burkina Faso to score four goals was Zainou Sana, who did so in 2011.

·      Burkina Faso have completed just 405 passes in their three games, the fewest of the eight quarter-finalists.

ZAMBIA FACTS
·      Zambia went through the group stages undefeated, winning two games at the finals for the first time.

·      They are now four games at the finals without a loss, winning three of these fixtures, a run that began with a win in their final group game against Morocco in 2023.

·      This year, Zambia won their first game against Tanzania 4-1, then drew with hosts Morocco and won 2-1 against Uganda in their final game.

·      Zambia have scored six goals at the tournament thus far with six different players on the scoresheet. No team has had as many different scorers at the tournament thus far.

·      The six goals Zambia have scored at the current tournament is the most they have managed in a single edition. In 2015 they scored three and in 2023 they managed four.

·      Zambia have a shot conversion rate of 18.18%. Amongst the quarter-finalists, only Morocco (29.63%), South Africa (20%) and Cote d’ Ivoire (19.23%) have a better conversion rate.