Tanzania U-17 became the first side to reach the quarter-finals of the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations after a commanding 3-0 victory over Angola in Morocco.
The East Africans continued their impressive start to the tournament with another mature and clinical performance, securing not only a place in the last eight but also qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup with one group match still remaining.
Having opened their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Mozambique, Tanzania repeated the same scoreline against Angola to confirm their growing reputation as one of the standout teams at this year’s competition.
Razaki Mgbeglendi gave Tanzania the lead in the 28th minute before Hasan Kizinga and Hussen Saddam added second-half goals to complete another dominant display.
The result leaves Tanzania with a perfect six points from two matches, six goals scored and none conceded, a remarkable record that has strengthened belief they could challenge for continental honours.
While Tanzania celebrated a historic milestone, it was another frustrating evening for Ghana after the Black Starlets suffered a damaging 1-0 defeat to defending champions Senegal U-17 in Group D.
The Black Starlets began brightly and thought they had taken an early lead before their effort was ruled out by VAR in the eighth minute.
Senegal were then reduced to 10 men shortly before half-time when El Hadji Sow received a second yellow card in the 42nd minute, handing Ghana a major advantage.
However, the West Africans failed to capitalise.
Isaac Barfo missed a penalty in first-half stoppage time, a moment that ultimately proved decisive as Senegal regrouped after the break and punished Ghana through Ibrahima Dione’s winning goal in the 57th minute.
The defeat leaves Ghana bottom of Group D with just one point ahead of a crucial final match against South Africa.
Elsewhere in the same group, Algeria U-17 moved closer to qualification with a 2-0 victory over South Africa.
Yacine Abed scored both goals for Algeria, whose victory lifted them to the top of the standings with four points.
South Africa and Senegal both sit on three points, while Ghana remain bottom with one.
In Group C, Mali U-17 and Mozambique shared the points in a 1-1 draw.
Mozambique made a fast start when Diego Pelembe opened the scoring in the fourth minute, but Mali responded in the second half through Youssif Sylla, who equalised in the 65th minute.
The draw leaves Mali second in the group with two points, while Mozambique and Angola each have one point.
As the group stage moves towards its decisive final round, Tanzania have already emerged as one of the success stories of the tournament, combining defensive discipline with clinical finishing to become the first nation to secure both quarter-final qualification and a place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
