AFCON: South Africa placed in tough group as they chase first crown

South Africa’s Amajimbos have been placed in a tough Group D in the forthcoming U17 Africa Cup of Nations to be played in Morocco from May 13 to June 2.

Vela Khumalo’s men have been pooled with Ghana, who have won the competition twice, as well as one-time champions Senegal. The U-17 national team will also have to get past North African nation Algeria, who, just like Mzansi, are chasing their first title.

It will be vital for South Africa to finish inside the top 10 positions, which will give them a chance to compete with the best in the globe in the U17 World Cup to be played in Qatar from November.

The defending champions, Morocco, who beat Mali to win their first-ever title, are in Group A with Tunisia, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

2017 AFCON Groups in full

“With only the top two teams in each of the pools advancing to the quarter-finals, that will be a hotly contested group that mirrors the recent UNAF qualifiers in Libya, which were won by Morocco,” CAF Media team reported.

“The eight quarter-finalists automatically qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be played in Qatar later this year, while the teams that finish third in their pools will take part in two play-off matches to determine the final two qualifiers,” they added.

The journey starts here. 🎬#TotalEnergiesAFCONU17 pic.twitter.com/OnZTCCVZ1Z

— CAF Online (@CAF_Online) April 8, 2026

Group A: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, and Ethiopia.

Group B: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Group C: Mali, Angola, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

We’re ready 🌍

Here’s how the #TotalEnergiesAFCONU17 groups shape up. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/VRTWKkLLn0

— CAF Online (@CAF_Online) April 8, 2026

Group D: Senegal, South Africa, Algeria and Ghana.