By Eyong Macdella
Football Writer,kick442.com-Cameroon
The U-17 Lions have been drawn in Group B of the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026, alongside Uganda, Cote D’ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo, following the draw conducted at the headquarters of the Confederation of African Football in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Alioum Saidou’s team, champions of the UNIFFAC U-17 tournament 2026 tournament, will contest the group stage with 2013 winner Cote D’ivoire who finished the last edition bronze medalists, two time participants Uganda and newcomers DR Congo.
Cameroon heads to the AFCON final after completing a flawless campaign in the UNIFFAC tournament which served as qualifiers for the competition. They began with a commanding 7-1 victory over Gabon, followed by a 2-0 win against the Central African Republic, before wrapping up a 2-0 triumph against host nation DR Congo, asserting their dominance in Central Africa by successfully defending and retaining the title.
The Cadet lions are two time champions of this competition having won it in 2003 and 2019. Before emerging champions for the first time, their best finish was fourth place in 1999. With the trophies won aside, Cameroon has never made it out of the group stage in five other appearances.
The tournament will bring together the best 16 youth teams across the continent to compete for Africa’s prestigious U17 title.
The AFCON will also serve as primary qualifier for the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar. All eight quarter-finalists will automatically qualify for the next edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, while the two best third-placed teams will join them to complete Africa’s ten representatives at the global showpiece.
Complete U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 Groups:
GROUP A: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Ethiopia
GROUP B: Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Uganda, DR Congo
GROUP C: Mali, Angola, Tanzania, Mozambique
GROUP D: Senegal, South Africa, Algeria, Ghana
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