The TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco has reached the knockout stage, with eight teams set to battle for continental glory after a dramatic and competitive group phase.
Hosts Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tanzania topped their respective groups to book quarter-final places, while Egypt, Cameroon, Mali and Algeria also progressed to complete the last-eight lineup.
All quarter-finalists have already secured qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, with Africa’s 10 representatives confirmed after Mozambique and Uganda clinched the final two spots via play-off victories on Saturday. That development means Sunday’s knockout matches will be played purely for continental honours.
Attention now turns to a series of high-profile quarter-finals across Morocco, headlined by a meeting between hosts Morocco and Cameroon at the CMVI-T8 Stadium at 17:00 local time.
Morocco advanced unbeaten from Group A with seven points, showing strong attacking form and composure under pressure, including a 2–1 win over Egypt in their final group game. Cameroon, meanwhile, recovered from an opening defeat to Côte d’Ivoire to finish second in Group B with six points, setting up a clash between two traditional youth football powerhouses.
Elsewhere, Senegal will face Mali in an all-West African encounter at CMVI-T3. Senegal topped Group D after a comeback win over Algeria, while Mali progressed unbeaten from Group C, setting up what is expected to be one of the most tactical and closely contested matches of the round.
The opening quarter-final will see Tanzania take on Algeria at CMVI-T11 at 14:00. Tanzania have emerged as one of the tournament’s surprise packages, finishing top of Group C with an impressive attacking display, while Algeria progressed from Group D on goal difference after a resilient group campaign.
The final last-eight fixture will pit Côte d’Ivoire against Egypt at CMVI-T11 at 20:00. Côte d’Ivoire remain unbeaten and have impressed with their defensive discipline, while Egypt squeezed through Group A in second place despite a narrow defeat to Morocco.
The winners of Morocco vs Cameroon will meet the winners of Senegal vs Mali in the semi-finals, while the victors of Côte d’Ivoire vs Egypt will face the winners of Tanzania vs Algeria. Both semi-finals will be staged at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium on 28 May.
The tournament final is scheduled for 2 June, following the third-place playoff on 1 June.
