GOLDEN EAGLETS FAIL TO QUALIFY FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE U-17 AFCON

April 6, 2026April 6, 2026

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By: Fasasi Hammad

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the 16 nations that will compete in the 2026 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), with Nigeria conspicuously absent for the second straight edition.

The Golden Eaglets failed to qualify after their 2-0 semi-final loss to Ghana in the WAFU Zone B qualifiers in September 2025, ending their bid to reach the continental tournament.

The AFCON will be hosted in Morocco from April 25 to May 15, 2026, and will also serve as Africa’s qualifying pathway for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar. With the World Cup expanded to 48 teams, the top 10 finishers at the AFCON finals will earn qualification.

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Algeria secured the final spot in the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Egypt at the Martyrs of Benina Stadium, completing the list of qualified teams.

The 16 teams set to feature at the tournament are:
Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Morocco (hosts), Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.

CAF’s qualification process is divided into six regional zones—UNAF, WAFU A, WAFU B, UNIFFAC, CECAFA, and COSAFA—each hosting its own tournament to determine representatives for the AFCON finals.