CAF has announced the date and procedure for the 2025 U-17 AFCON draw.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced the draw date for the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will take place in Morocco from March 30 to April 19, 2025.
The highly anticipated 2025 U-17 AFCON draw will be conducted on Thursday, February 13, in Cairo, Egypt.
The tournament will feature an expanded 16-team format, a record-high number for the competition.
Among the confirmed teams are hosts Morocco, along with African football powerhouses such as Egypt and Senegal.
Roy Mutimba, who is based in the USA, was drafted into the Kenya U-17 squad last December, a reward for years of hard work trying to make it as a professional footballer.
The full list of participating nations includes Angola, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, UNIFFAC 1, UNIFFAC 2, and Zambia.
The U-17 AFCON will serve as a pathway for qualification to the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup, set to take place in Qatar from November 5 to 27, 2025.
The top two teams from each group will automatically qualify for the quarter-finals and secure a place in the World Cup.
The final two World Cup slots will be determined through play-off matches between the four teams finishing third in their respective groups.
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11 of the squad that took part in the U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic last October have made the cut with Cheche hoping to help the side win qualification for the second year in a row.
The final draw will be broadcast live on CAF TV, with former Mali international Adama Coulibaly and ex-Senegal star Souleymane Camara serving as draw assistants.
The teams will be divided into four groups (A, B, C, and D), each consisting of four teams.
As the host nation, Morocco will automatically be placed in position A1 in Group A.
The remaining seeds for the group stage have been allocated based on final standings from the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON, Algeria 2023.
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James Situma is clamoring for a seamless transition of the Junior Stars into the Harambee Stars team for the 2027 Afcon squad.
Reigning champions Senegal will take position C1, Burkina Faso (third place in 2023) will be in position B1, and Mali (fourth place in 2023) will occupy position D1.
Following the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout rounds, with quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final set to determine the next U-17 AFCON champion.
The U-17 AFCON has consistently served as a launching pad for young African talents, many of whom go on to represent their senior national teams and secure professional contracts both locally and abroad.
With the expanded format and the promise of World Cup qualification, the 2025 edition in Morocco is expected to showcase the best young talents from across the continent.
