There will be a North African showdown at the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations after hosts Morocco were drawn with Tunisia, Egypt and Ethiopia in Group A for the finals.

The tournament will be staged from 13 May to 2 June 2026 at the Mohammed VI Complex in Rabat.

The Final Draw was concluded at CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, on Wednesday.

Current African stars Fiston Mayele (Pyramids FC and DR Congo), Aliou Dieng (Al Ahly and Mali) and Ahmed Belhadji (Ceramica Cleopatra and Morocco) assisted with the ceremony.

With only the top two teams in each of the pools advancing to the quarter-finals, that will be a hotly contested group that mirrors the recent UNAF qualifiers in Libya, which were won by Morocco.

Former champions Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon are in Group B along with Uganda and debutants DR Congo. Two-time winners Cameroon were victors as recently as 2019, while the Ivorians lifted the trophy in 2013.

Last year’s runners-up Mali, are in Group C along with the Southern African duo of Angola and Mozambique, as well as East African side Tanzania. Mali were champions in 2015 and 2017.

The 2023 winners, Senegal, headline Group D, where they face 2015 silver medallists South Africa, Algeria and two-time winners Ghana. The latter were champions in 1995 and 1999.

The eight quarter-finalists automatically qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be played in Qatar later this year, while the teams that finish third in their pools will take part in two play-off matches to determine the final two qualifiers.

Ten African nations will again be present at the global finals.

FULL DRAW

GROUP A: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Ethiopia

GROUP B: Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Uganda, DR Congo

GROUP C: Mali, Angola, Tanzania, Mozambique

GROUP D: Senegal, South Africa, Algeria, Ghana.