CAF U-17 AFCON Kicks Off in Morocco as Ghana Prepare for Thursday Opener
The TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 gets underway today Wednesday, May 13, with 16 nations beginning their quest for continental success and qualification to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar later this year.
This year’s tournament, which runs until June 2, will be staged under CAF’s new festival-style format designed to centralise matches, training sessions and team operations in one integrated environment aimed at enhancing player development and operational efficiency.
The majority of matches will take place at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, while the opening game, semi-finals and final will be hosted at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat.
The tournament opens with Egypt facing Ethiopia at 1pm at the Mohammed VI Complex. At the same time, Ivory Coast will take on Cameroon on a separate field within the venue.
Uganda will later face DR Congo at 4pm before hosts Morocco clash with Tunisia in the headline fixture of the opening day at 7pm at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah.
Ghana’s Black Starlets will begin their campaign on Thursday, May 14, when they face Algeria in the final Group D fixture of the day at 7pm.
Returning to the competition after missing recent editions, Ghana will be eager to re-establish itself at a level where the country once dominated African football.
The Black Starlets remain one of the continent’s most successful youth sides, having won multiple continental titles and the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the past.
Qualification for the global tournament adds further significance to the competition. The eight quarter-finalists will secure automatic qualification to the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2026.
The four teams that finish third in their groups will also get another opportunity through two play-off matches to determine the final African representatives, ensuring 10 teams from the continent qualify for the global showpiece.