U-17 AFCON
Burkina Faso and Cameroon meet in Under -17 Afcon Group B opener
Burkina Faso and Cameroon open their Group B campaign at the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025 with a clash at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca on Monday (kick-off 17h00 local time / GMT).
This is the fourth meeting at the finals between the two sides. Of their previous three meetings at the finals, two games have ended drawn with Burkina Faso winning the other clash. All three of their previous clashes have been in the group stages.
Their first two matches in 1999 and 2001 both ended 1-1. Their last clash in 2023 saw Burkina Faso win 2-1 in their final group game.
When the teams have been paired before in the same group, Burkina Faso have progressed on all three previous occasions, while Cameroon have moved on in the tournament just once previously in 1999.
On all three previous occasions when Burkina Faso have faced Cameroon at the finals, they have ended in the top three, ending as runners up in 1999 and 2001, while they finished third in 2023.
BURKINA FASO FACTS
· Burkina Faso competing at their eighth finals. Only Nigeria (10), Mali (10) and Cameroon (9) have qualified for more. They have beenchampions in 2011, and runners-up in back to back tournaments in 1999 and 2001.
· They have only failed to progress beyond the group stages twice, in 2005 and 2007.
· The Burkinabereached the final in their first two appearances in 1999 and 2001.
· Third place finishers at the last finals in Algeria, despite losing their opening game against Mali in 2023, Burkina Faso recovered to defeat Cameroon 3-1 in their second group game, then defeated Nigeria in the quarter-finals. They lost to Senegal on penalties in the semi-finals, before defeating Mali in the play-off for third place.
· Burkina Faso were the first country in tournament history to reach back-to-back finals, doing so in 1999 and 2001, when they ended as runners-up. The only other country to achieve this feat is Mali, who won back to back titles in 2015 and 2017.
· They reached the final on their tournament debut in 1999 in Guinea, drawing their first two group games against Zimbabwe and Cameroon, before winning against hosts Guinea. In the last four they defeated Mali and lost to Ghana in the final.
· They made it to the final in 2001 in the Seychelles, defeating Mali and Seychelles, and drawing with Cameroon in the group stage. In the last four they defeated Guinea 2-1 and in the final they lost 3-0 to Nigeria.
· After final defeats in 1999 and 2001, they lifted the title at the third time of asking in Rwanda in 2011, despite an opening game loss to hosts Rwanda, they were able to defeat Senegal and Egypt 4-0 with Bertrand Traore scoring a brace to take them to the last four. Traore was on target in a 1-1 draw against Congo in the last four before they won on penalties. They defeated hosts Rwanda 2-1 in the final avenging their group stage loss.
· Burkina Faso were bronze medallist in 2009, defeating Zimbabwe 5-0, Malawi 2-0 and Niger 1-0 to reach the last four and then lost to Algeria 1-0, before winning bronze medal defeating Malawi 3-2 in the play-off for third.
· Making their eighth appearance at the finals, they have reached the knockout rounds in five previous tournaments in 1999, 2001, 2009, 2011 and 2023. They have only failed to progress beyond the group stages in 2005 and 2007.
· Burkina Faso’s record in their opening group game at the finals reads P7 W2 D1 L4. They have won their opening game at the finals twice in 2001 a 1-0 win over Mali and in 2009 a 5-0 triumph over Zimbabwe.
· They drew 0-0 with Zimbabwe in their first ever game at the tournament in 1999 the only occasion they opened up with a draw. They have lost their opening games in 2005, 2007, 2011 and 2023.
· Their biggest loss in their opening game was a 3-1 defeat against Ghana in 2007, while in 2005 they lost 1-0 against Zambia and 1-0 against Mali in 2023.
· Burkina Faso lost their opening game in 2011 against hosts Rwanda 2-1 but did manage to progress and went all the way to lift the title, they recovered to win their next two group games against Senegal 3-2 and Egypt 4-0.
· Edouard Dambre is the only player in the Burkina Faso squad to be based outside of his home country, he plays in Qatar for Al Saad.
CAMEROON FACTS
· Appearing in the tournament for a ninth time, they made their first appearance in Guinea in 1999. Only Nigeria (10) and Mali (10) have qualified for more finals than Cameroon (9). They are two times former winners in 2003 and 2019.
· Cameroon’s record in their opening game at the finals reads P8 W2 D1 L5.
· Cameroon have won their opening game at the tournament twice. In 2001 they recorded a 5-0 win over hosts Seychelles. They lost their opening game in four successive tournaments, in 2003 to Nigeria, in 2009 to Algeria, to Mali in 2015 and Ghana in 2017. They ended the barren run with a victory over Guinea in 2019 a 2-0 triumph as they would go onto win their second title. They lost their opening game at the last finals in Algeria against Mali losing 2-0.
· Cameroon’s win over Guinea in their opening game in 2019 is their only win in their opening game in their last six tournament participations.
· Despite losing their opening game in 2003 against Nigeria, Cameroon would recover and go onto lift the trophy, defeating Ethiopia 5-3 in their second group game. They rounded off their pool campaign with a 2-2 draw against Gambia, before defeating Egypt in the semi-finals 2-1 and Sierra Leone 1-0 in the final.
· Cameroon have kicked off the tournament against teams from West Africa six times previously. Their record in such games reads W1 D1 L4.
· Cameroon have faced teams from the WAFU region in 20 of their previous 28 games at the tournament. Their record in these games reads W2 D8 L10.
· Cameroon lost their last two games against West African teams. They were defeated by Mali and Burkina Faso in their two group stage games in 2023.
· In their last five tournament appearances they have managed to progress beyond the group stages just once in 2019, while they did not progress beyond the group phase in 2009, 2015, 2017 and 2023.
· Will be looking to duplicate the performances of the senior Cameroon national team, the Indomitable Lions who were crowned African Champions when Morocco hosted the 1988 AFCON.
· Cameroon made light work of qualifying through the UNNIFAC Zone, scoring 22 goals in their three qualifying matches while conceding a single goal.
· Cameroon U17 coach Alioum Saidou is a former Indomitable Lions international who represented his country at the 2006 AFCON finals in Egypt, starting and finishing all four games as they were eliminated on penalties by Cote d’ Ivoire in the quarter-finals.
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Tanzania and Zambia will clash for the first time at the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025 when they meet in a Group A clash in Mohammedia on Monday (kick-off 14h00 local time / GMT).
While Zambia are meeting East African opposition for the first time, Tanzania are facing Southern African opponents for the third tournament in a row.
In their two previous tournament appearances in 2017 and 2019, Tanzania faced a COSAFA opponents in the form of Angola in the group stages. They won 2-1 in 2017 and lost 4-2 in 2019.
TANZANIA FACTS
· Tanzania are making their third appearance at the TotalEnergies U-17 AFCON finals. They first qualified in Gabon in 2017 and then returned as hosts in 2019.
· Tanzania have exited the tournament at the group stage in both of their previous appearances.
· Tanzania have never previously won their opening game at the finals. Their record in their opening game reads D1 L1.
· In their debut appearance in 2017, Tanzania drew their first game against Mali 0-0, while as hosts in 2019 their opening game produced nine goals. Tanzania fell to a 5-4 defeat against Nigeria, scoring the same number of goals in that game as they have in their other five fixtures at the finals combined.
· Tanzania are yet to progress beyond the group stages. Their overall record at the finals from six games reads W1 D1 L4.
· Five of Tanzania’s six games have produced goals and a winner. Their only game not to produce goals and end in a draw was their opening fixture in 2017, a 0-0 draw against Mali.
· Tanzania’s only win at the finals was in their second group game against Angola in 2017, a 2-1 win.
· Tanzania have lost their last four games at the finals since defeating Angola. They lost their final group game against Niger in 2017 and all three group fixtures in 2019.
· Tanzania progressed to the finals through the CECAFA qualifying tournament, where they ended as runners up to Uganda. They began with a 1-1 draw against hosts Uganda in their opening game and then defeated Kenya 1-0 to progress to the last four, where they defeated South Sudan 4-0, before losing 2-1 to Uganda in the final.
· Tanzania scored 7 goals in the qualifiers with 7 different players finding the back of the net.
· Tanzania’s squad are all domestically based and represents 14 different clubs, with just JKU Academy, Fountain Gate FC, Azam, Kilombere SNA and Tabora United having two representatives in the squad.
· Tanzania are coached by Aggrey Morris, a former Tanzania international who made 32 appearances for his country between 2010 and 2019.
ZAMBIA FACTS
· Zambia are making their third appearance at the finals after previous participations in 2015 and 2023.
· Zambia are appearing in back to back finals for the first time but have been eliminated at the group stages in both their previous tournament appearances.
· Zambia have lost both of their opening games at the finals, 1-0 against Guinea in 2015 and against Nigeria in 2023.
· Zambia’s overall record at the finals reads P6 W2 D0 L4.
· Zambia’s two victories at the finals came in their second group game in 2015 against Niger, a 2-1 win, and in their final group game against Morocco in 2023, also a 2-1 victory.
· Zambia qualified for the finals after winning the 2024 COSAFA U-17 championship which took place in South Africa in December last year. They won all three of their group games defeating Namibia (8-0), Zimbabwe (5-1) and Eswatini (1-0). They defeated South Africa and Angola in the semifinals and final respectively, winning both games 2-1.
· Abel Nyirongo was Zambia’s top scored in the qualifiers with 7 goals. He scored in four of their five games.
· Zambia coach Ian Bakala is a former Chipolopolo international who played 41 times for his country and appeared at three AFCON Finals, playing six games across the 2002, 2006 and 2008 editions.
· All of Zambia’s squad are domestically based.
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Five-time world champions, Golden Eaglets of Nigeria are absent as the Africa U-17 Nations Cup kicks off this Sunday in Morocco. The team failed to cut the regional WAFU -B elimination series and thus will also be absent when the FIFA U17 World Cup kicks off.
The CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025 kicks off this Sunday with a meeting between the host nation, Morocco and Uganda as 16 teams vie for the continental crown and a place at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup later this year.
The journey to a long national team career begins here for many of the continent’s top young talents, who will get a first taste of an international competition at the expanded tournament.
Morocco last staged the Under-17 continental finals in 2013 when Nigeria striker Kelechi Iheanacho was one of the stand-out performers, and there will be many players in the Class of 2025 who will hope to have similarly successful club and international careers.
There will be a record 10 places for Africa at the 48-team FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar, an opportunity for the continent to showcase its outstanding emerging talent on the global stage.
This will include the eight quarter-finalists and two more teams decided via play-off matches between the sides that finish third in their pools in the group stages.
The tournament will sport a new trophy, with the concept behind the silverware being the ‘Journey Begins’. It features a road-like structure symbolizing the player’s path, integrated with the map of Africa to reflect continental pride and unity.
Four venues will play host to matches – El Bachir Stadium in Mohammedia, Larbi Zaouli Stadium and Berrechid Stadium, which are both in Casablanca, as well as the El Abdi Stadium in El Jadida.
Proceedings get underway at the El Bachir Stadium on Sunday when Morocco play East African champions Uganda in a 22h00 kick-off (local time / GMT).
The following day Tanzania take on Southern African champions Zambia to close off the opening round of Group A fixtures in a 14h00 kick-off.
Later in the afternoon, Casablanca’s Larbi Zaouli Stadium hosts a Group B clash between the last edition’s bronze medallists, Burkina Faso and two-time champions Cameroon at 17h00.
The last fixture of the day, which takes place at the same venue, sees 2015 runners-up South Africa facing off against champions of the 1997 edition Egypt in an exciting north versus south duel at 20h00.
Group C and D fixtures will take place on Tuesday, 1 April with the reigning champions Senegal headlining the matches.
They take on The Gambia at the El Abdi Stadium at 14h00, while Somalia, who are making their second appearance at the finals, face off against Tunisia at 17h00.
In Group D, Mali, who finished fourth in the last edition, take on tournament debutants Angola at 17h00, while former champions Cote d’Ivoire eye an opening victory against Central African Republic at 20h00.
For a full list of CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 Fixtures, Times and Venues – CLICK HERE
CAF U-17 CAF AFCON, Morocco 2025 Groups:
GROUP A: Morocco (Hosts), Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia
GROUP B: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, South Africa, Egypt
GROUP C: Senegal, Gambia, Somalia, Tunisia
GROUP D: Mali, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Central African Republic
-CAF
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Hosts Morocco will be up against East African opponents for the first time at the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) when they clash with Uganda in the opening game of the tournament on Sunday (kick-off 22h00 local time / GMT).
It will be a CECAFA double for the Moroccans on home soil as they face Tanzania in their final pool game too.
Uganda are making their second appearance at the finals in its current guise and will also face North African opposition for the first time, and on the second occasion, they will face the tournament hosts.
In their debut appearance in 2019, they met hosts Tanzania in their second game in Group A, a match they won 3-0 in Dar es Salaam.
Morocco becomes the fourth different nation that Uganda will face at the finals, they have previously met Angola, Nigeria and Tanzania.
The record of the host nation in their first game at the finals reads P14 W6 D1 L7.
The first five hosts between 1995 and 2003, Mali, Botswana, Guinea, Seychelles and Eswatini failed to win their opening game (D1 L4). In this time only Guinea, who drew with Cameroon in their opening game in 1999, avoided defeat.
Gambia were the first hosts to win their opening game, doing so with a 1-0 victory against Burkina Faso.
Thereafter, the next four tournament hosts, Togo in 2007, Algeria in 2009, Rwanda in 2011 and Morocco in 2013, won their opening game.
The biggest loss for a tournament host in their opening game was a 5-0 defeat for Seychelles in 2001 against Cameroon.
In four successive finals between 2005 and 2011, the hosts reached the final. In this run, only Gambia (2005) managed to win the tournament.
MOROCCO FACTS
· Morocco are making their fourth appearance at the finals along with 2013, 2019 and 2023.
· They will be hosting the tournament for a second time after 2013.
· Morocco will be aiming to become the second tournament host after Gambia in 2005 to win on home soil.
· In their debut tournament as hosts in 2013, Morocco ended fourth. In their next appearance in 2019 they were eliminated in the group stages.
· Morocco ended as runners-up at the last edition in Algeria in 2023, losing to Senegal in the final. That was their best showing at the finals.
· Morocco’s record in their opening group game at the finals reads P3 W2 D1 L0.
· Morocco have scored seven goals across their three opening games at the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON. They have conceded two goals.
· Overall, Morocco’s group stage record at the CAF U-17 AFCON finals reads P9 W4 D2 L3.
· Morocco’s three biggest wins at the finals have all been by a three-goal margin, two of which came in the 2013 group stages, a 4-1 win over Gabon in their opening game and a 3-0 win over Botswana in their second group game. They also managed a 3-0 win against hosts Algeria in the quarterfinals in 2023.
· Morocco are coached by former Atlas Lions International Nabil Baha, who was appointed at their helm in September 2024.
· Baha is a French-born Moroccan international who represented the Atlas Lions 20 times, making his international debut on the 12th of February 2003 in an international friendly against Senegal.
· Baha has been in charge of the Moroccan U-17 national team for 17 games, his record in these games reads W7 D6 L3. Baha’s team are undefeated in their last five games, winning three games and drawing two.
· Morocco’s highest scoring at a single final was Younes Bnou Marzouk who scored 4 goals when they hosted the tournament in 2013.
UGANDA FACTS
· Uganda’s only previous finals appearance was in 2019, when their neighbours Tanzania were hosts.
· At the 2019 finals Uganda began with a 1-0 loss to Angola in Group A, they then defeated hosts Tanzania 3-0 and drew with Nigeria 1-1 in their final group game. They exited the tournament in the group stage.
· All four of Uganda’s goals at the 2019 finals were scored by different players, they are yet to have a player score multiple goals for them at the finals.
· Uganda qualified for the second finals by winning the CECAFA regional play-off. They began with a 1-1 draw against Tanzania in their first group game then defeated Keny 5-0 in their second group game. They managed to overcome Somalia 4-1 in the Semi-finals and defeated Tanzania in Kampala on the 27th of December 2024 in the final winning 2-1.
· James Bogere top scored for Uganda in the qualifiers, he scored 7 goals netting two hat-tricks in their 5-0 group stage win over Kenya and in their 4-1 Semi-final win over Somalia. He also scored their game-winner in their 2-1 win in the final against Tanzania.
· The Uganda U-17 team are coached by Brian Ssenyondo who assumed the helm in November 2024, three weeks before they began their qualifying campaign against Tanzania.
-CAF
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