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Uganda complete Africa’s 10-team line-up for FIFA U-17 World Cup

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Uganda became the 10th and final African team to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup after beating Ghana 8-7 on penalties in a dramatic TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 play-off.

The match finished 2-2 after normal time at CMVI-T11 on Saturday, before Uganda held their nerve in a tense shootout to join Mozambique as the two teams to progress through the play-off route.

Africa’s full list of representatives is now complete, with Uganda and Mozambique joining Morocco, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Tanzania and Algeria at the global tournament.

 

The eight quarter-finalists at the U-17 AFCON had already secured qualification for the World Cup, while the play-offs were introduced to determine Africa’s final two places because the continent has 10 slots at the expanded competition.

Mozambique claimed the first play-off ticket earlier on Saturday after beating Ethiopia 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

Uganda then completed the line-up with their shootout victory over Ghana in another match that went the distance.

That miss ended Ghana’s World Cup hopes and sparked celebration for Uganda, who turned group-stage disappointment into one of the most important results in their youth football history.

Earlier in the day, Mozambique had also taken the long route to qualification.

The two play-off results brought a painful end to the campaigns of Ghana and Ethiopia, both of whom had kept their hopes alive after finishing third in their groups.

For the eight quarter-finalists, qualification had already been sealed by their group-stage performances.

Hosts Morocco finished top of Group A, with Egypt also advancing. Senegal and Algeria emerged from Group D, while Mali, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon were also confirmed among the quarter-final teams.

The quarter-final line-up features Morocco against Cameroon, Senegal against Mali, Côte d’Ivoire against Egypt, and Tanzania against Algeria.

Those matches will decide who continues the chase for the U-17 AFCON title, but the World Cup picture is now already settled.

Africa’s 10 representatives will be Morocco, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Tanzania, Algeria, Mozambique and Uganda.

For Mozambique and Uganda, the play-offs turned a missed quarter-final place into a World Cup ticket.

For Ghana and Ethiopia, the margins were cruel, but their performances showed the increasing competitiveness of youth football on the continent.

Africa’s qualified teams for the FIFA U-17 World Cup

Morocco, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Tanzania, Algeria, Mozambique and Uganda