The race for the knockout rounds of the 2026 U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco is entering a decisive phase, with Ivory Coast and Tanzania already booking their places in the quarter-finals while several traditional powers face tense final-day battles.
After two rounds of matches, the tournament has begun to reveal early favourites, surprise packages and struggling giants, with qualification for the FIFA U17 World Cup also hanging in the balance.
Ivory Coast and Tanzania have emerged as the standout teams so far, both winning their opening two matches to confirm progression with a game to spare.
The Young Elephants have looked particularly dominant in Group B, collecting six points from victories over Cameroon and DR Congo.
Their impressive start has not only secured a place in the last eight but also strengthened their reputation as one of the strongest attacking sides in the competition.
Cameroon recovered from an opening defeat to Ivory Coast by beating DR Congo, leaving the group delicately poised behind the already-qualified Ivorians.
Uganda, who began with a convincing win over DR Congo before losing narrowly to Cameroon, remain firmly in contention heading into the final group fixtures.
For DR Congo, however, the situation has become increasingly difficult after two defeats in two matches.
The young Leopards are still searching for their first points and now face a must-win situation to keep alive any hopes of extending their campaign.
In Group C, Tanzania have arguably produced the tournament’s most convincing performances so far.
The East Africans followed their opening 3-0 victory over Mozambique with another commanding 3-0 triumph against Angola.
Tanzania have now scored six goals without conceding and have quickly transformed themselves from outsiders into genuine contenders for continental honours.
Mali remain second in the group with two points following their draw against Mozambique, while Angola and Mozambique both have one point each.
That leaves the final group matches carrying huge significance for all three sides chasing qualification behind Tanzania.
Hosts Morocco also remain strongly positioned in Group A despite a difficult start to the competition.
After opening the tournament with a draw against Tunisia, the North Africans bounced back with victory over Ethiopia to move level on four points with Egypt.
Egypt’s win over Tunisia has further tightened the standings, leaving Tunisia and Ethiopia still mathematically alive despite sitting at the bottom of the table with one point apiece.
Group D has emerged as the most unpredictable and tense section of the competition.
Algeria currently lead the standings with four points after defeating South Africa, while both Senegal and South Africa sit on three points.
Ghana, one of the continent’s most successful youth football nations, are bottom with one point following defeat to Senegal.
The Black Starlets suffered a painful setback after missing a penalty despite playing against 10-man Senegal for part of the contest.
Senegal’s victory has kept the Young Lions firmly in the hunt for qualification, but the margin for error remains extremely small heading into the final round.
With places in the quarter-finals carrying automatic qualification for the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar, the pressure is rapidly increasing across all four groups.
