The draw for the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations was held on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, in Morocco, placing Ghana in Group D alongside Senegal, Algeria, and South Africa.
The tournament, which comprises 16 nations including Ghana, will be held in Morocco from May 13 to June 2, 2026.
Group A comprises Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Ethiopia, bringing together three North African countries with the most established youth systems.
Group B pulls together Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Uganda, and DR. Congo. Group B promises to be the most unpredictable group, with all four teams in top form and playing similar football styles.
Group C features Mali, Angola, Tanzania, and Mozambique. Mali enters the group as the favorite regarding their style of play, the experience, and the talents embedded in the squad. Group D consists of Senegal, Algeria, Ghana, and South Africa. Ghana and Senegal both enter the competition as strong favorites, boasting strong reputations at the youth level.
Amidst these draws, eight teams will secure automatic qualifications to the 2026 U-17 World Cup, with two additional nations progressing further into the tournament to represent the continent on the global stage. The two additional slots will be handed to two of the third-best placed teams. In total, Africa will be represented by ten nations at the U-17 World Cup in Qatar later in November 2026.
The tournament’s group stage presents a series of competitive matchups, with the continent’s powerhouses—Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, and Cameroon—competing to prove themselves once again on the continental stage.
However, emerging sides like Mozambique and Tanzania have shown in the qualification stage how good they can be and will love to prove why they should not be underrated.
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Story by Xavier Mensah | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Erica Odeenyin Odoom
