Ghana’s young guns have been handed a stern test at the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), pooled in Group D alongside reigning champions Senegal, South Africa and Algeria, in what promises to be one of the tournament’s most fiercely contested groups.
The Black Starlets, two-time champions (1995, 1999), will need to rediscover their pedigree against a Senegalese side that swept the 2023 title and arrived as clear favourites.
South Africa, runners-up in 2015, and a technically disciplined Algerian outfit complete a group where margins for error will be razor-thin, with only the top two guaranteed passage to the quarter-finals.
World Cup slots
With a place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar on the line, the stakes could hardly be higher at the May 13 — June 2 tourney in Morocco.
All eight quarter-finalists will secure automatic qualification, while third-placed teams face a nervy play-off route for the final two African slots.
The draws, held in Cairo yesterday, pitted hosts Morocco against Ethiopia and North African rivals Tunisia and Egypt in Group A.
Group B brings together former champions Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroun—winners in 2013 and 2019 respectively—alongside Uganda and tournament debutants DR Congo.
Meanwhile, last year’s runners-up, Mali lead Group C, where they meet Angola, Tanzania and Mozambique, with the West Africans chasing a third continental crown after triumphs in 2015 and 2017.
For Ghana, the mission is clear. Head Coach Prosper Narteh Ogum leads a new generation of Black Starlets into battle in Morocco, tasked with restoring the nation’s youth football pedigree while chasing both continental honours and a long-awaited return to the world stage.
Ghana have not featured at the U-17 World Cup since the 2017 finals in India, a drought this latest crop will be under pressure to end.
GROUP A: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Ethiopia
GROUP B: Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroun, Uganda, DR Congo
GROUP C: Mali, Angola, Tanzania, Mozambique
GROUP D: Senegal, South Africa, Algeria, Ghana
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh