"The Festival" in "Cannes Under 17 Years"

The Confederation of African Football announced the adoption of a new organizational formula similar to the “Festival” in age group competitions, starting with the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations finals, scheduled to be held in Morocco between May 13 and June 2, 2026.

The continental body explained that this new concept will bring together matches, training, and all organizational processes for the participating teams within a unified and integrated space, in a step aimed at creating a distinctive competitive atmosphere, improving logistical aspects, and ensuring a more harmonious organization, in addition to supporting the sports development of players in the long term.

All tournament matches, except for the opening match, the semi-finals and the final, will be held inside the Mohammed VI Football Complex, which will host the bulk of the competitions.

The draw for the tournament, which was held earlier this month, resulted in strong and balanced groups, with the host Moroccan team coming in Group A alongside Tunisia, Egypt and Ethiopia.

The second group included Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while Mali came in the third group, along with Angola, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

As for the fourth group, it includes Senegal, the 2023 champions, along with South Africa, Algeria and Ghana, which won the title on two occasions.

The eight places qualifying for the quarter-finals will guarantee direct qualification to the 2026 U-17 World Cup, while the third-placed teams will play two SD matches to determine the last two qualifying spots.

The African continent will be represented in the next World Cup in Qatar by ten teams.