Morocco lead the way at historic UNAF TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Libya
Morocco strengthened their grip on top spot in the UNAF qualifiers for the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations finals, with the preliminary competition being hosted in Benghazi, Libya.
It 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 tournament will provide the two additional qualifiers, alongside hosts Morocco, for the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations continental finals that are set to be staged later this month.
Morocco, who are taking part despite already being assured of a spot, maintained their perfect record after three rounds of matches with a 2-1 win over Egypt at the Military Union Stadium.
Rami Loukmani gave Morocco the lead in the 24th minute, before Egypt levelled through Alaa Adel in the 41st minute. Morocco eventually secured the victory in the 84th minute thanks to a goal from Adnane Boujouffi, who was named Man of the Match.
With that win, Morocco moved to nine points at the top of the standings after three consecutive victories. Egypt remain on three points from two matches and sit third on goal difference, behind Algeria, who were not in action on this matchday.
At the Martyrs of Benina Stadium, Tunisia recorded their first win of the campaign by defeating Libya 2-1. Libya took the lead through Abderrahmane Bouzouida in the 11th minute, but Tunisia turned the game around with goals from Othmane Ben Hssine in the 18th minute and Mohamed Moncef Thabti from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute.
Tunisian player Yahya Jelidi was named Man of the Match.
With this victory, Tunisia claimed their first three points after two successive defeats and moved into fourth place, level on points with Algeria and Egypt but behind them on goal difference. Libya, meanwhile, suffered a third straight defeat and remain bottom of the table without a point.
The competition will continue on Thursday with the fourth round of fixtures. Libya will face Egypt at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium from 14h00 local time, while Tunisia will meet Algeria at the Military Union Stadium from 16h00.
The top two teams in the final standings, aside from the already-qualified Morocco, will advance to the 16-team continental finals.
The teams that finish in the top 10 in Morocco will advance to the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
The countries that have already qualified for the continental finals are Angola, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.