U17 AFCON: Côte d'Ivoire and Uganda impress, Morocco sticks

Who will succeed Morocco? The 2026 U17 AFCON was launched on Wednesday in the Cherifian kingdom. Four matches were played for the first day of competition. Groups A and B were in the spotlight. Côte d'Ivoire responded present from the start, Uganda outclassed DR Congo. Morocco, holding the title, was caught by Tunisia.

Philemon MBALE

2 minutes de lecture

Ethiopia catches up with Egypt, Tunisia stands up to Morocco (Group A)
Egypt and Ethiopia played the first match of Group A on field 11 of the Mohammed VI Complex in Rabat. Ultra favorites of this unbalanced meeting on paper, the young Pharaohs were disappointing. Against a strong team from Ethiopia, they could not find the fault until the end of 90 minutes. 0-0, the score that sanctioned this opposition. Egyptian Ahmed Safwat won the Man of the Match trophy.

At the Complexe Sportif Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan in Rabat, Morocco officially handed over its trophy during the last match of the day. The defending champions made their first outing against Tunisia. This North African derby ended with a draw (1-1). The Moroccans conceded the opening goal after Yahia Jlidi (27th) before restoring the junction in the 76th minute through Ilian Hadidi.

Côte d'Ivoire dominates Cameroon, the DRC falls ahead of Uganda (Group B)
Côte d'Ivoire made a strong start to the 2026 U17 AFCON in Group B. On field 3 of the Mohammed VI Complex, the Elephanteaux won (2-0) ahead of the Cameroon Indomitable Lion Cubs. A victory that was made possible thanks to the achievements of Ange Nomane (52nd) and Yao Hubert (57th). The latter is designated Man of the Match by CAF.

Also in Group B, the DRC was facing Uganda on field 8 of the Mohammed VI complex. The young Ugandans showed their offensive strength by taking over the score of three goals to zero. Owen Mukisa (37th), Nicholas Kawooya (45+2') and Abdulshakur Babi (82nd) crucified the Congolese selection. Uganda takes first place ahead of Côte d'Ivoire thanks to this sensational victory at the start. With a goal and an assist, Owen Mukisa logically won the Man of the Match award.