The Mali U17 national team arrived in Dakar on Thursday, 3 September 2026, ahead of the UFOA-A tournament, which serves as a qualifying competition for the CAN U17.
The Malian delegation landed at Blaise Diagne International Airport at about 17:00 before travelling to its base at the Fleur de Lys hotel in central Dakar.
Mali, known as the Aiglonnets, have been placed in Group B and will begin their campaign against Liberia on Tuesday, 8 September. Their second group-stage fixture will be against Guinea-Bissau on 11 September, with Guinea providing the opposition in their final match on 14 September.
The schedule gives Mali three group matches in the space of seven days as they compete for progress in the UFOA-A tournament and a place in the CAN U17 qualification picture.
After completing their journey from Mali, the squad and staff will begin preparations for the opening fixture with their first training session in Senegal. The session is scheduled for Friday, 4 September, from 10:00 at Stade municipal de Ngor.
The training session will be the first opportunity for the Aiglonnets to work on the pitch following their arrival in Dakar. It will also mark the start of the final stage of their preparations before the tournament gets under way.
Mali’s group campaign will open with the meeting against Liberia on 8 September. The team will then return to action three days later against Guinea-Bissau, before closing the group phase against Guinea on 14 September.
All three matches are part of the Group B programme, with the Malian side now established at the Fleur de Lys hotel in Dakar after arriving in the Senegalese capital.
The delegation’s arrival at Blaise Diagne International Airport at approximately 17:00 on Thursday completed the first part of the team’s tournament preparations. Its next scheduled activity is the opening training session at Stade municipal de Ngor on Friday morning.
The UFOA-A tournament is the competition through which Mali will pursue qualification for the CAN U17. The Aiglonnets will therefore begin their bid in Dakar with the Liberia fixture before facing Guinea-Bissau and Guinea in the remainder of the group stage.
