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Senegal, Burkina Faso, Morocco, and Mali will be flying Africa’s flag at the global showpiece later this year.
Africa’s four representatives for the FIFA U-17 World Cup have been confirmed following the completion of the quarterfinal stage of the TotalEnergies U17 Africa Cup of Nations Algeria 2023.
Senegal, Burkina Faso, Morocco, and Mali will be flying Africa’s flag at the global showpiece later this year.
The U17 Africa Cup of Nations is a crucial tournament for young African footballers as it is an avenue for them to showcase their skills on the world stage.
The semifinals are set to be played on Sunday, 14 May 2023, with Burkina Faso taking on Senegal while Morocco will battle Mali.
Mali is the most experienced team out of the final four nations having qualified five times previously. Their best performance was in 2015 when they reached the final but lost to Nigeria.
They last qualified for the U-17 World Cup in 2017 in India where they finished fourth. They reached the quarterfinals in 1997 and 2001, and exited in the group stage in 1999.
Speaking about their qualification, Mali’s coach, Amadou Diop, said, “We are glad to have qualified for the U-17 World Cup once again.”
“Our goal is to go one better than we did in 2015 when we reached the final. We believe in the quality of our team and we are confident that we can achieve great things in the tournament.”
Burkina Faso returns to the global stage after a long absence. Their last qualification was in 2011, and they have qualified for the U-17 World Cup four times in total.
Their best performance was in 2001 when they finished third after beating Argentina 2-0 in the play-off match.
“We are delighted to have qualified for the U-17 World Cup. It has been a long journey for us, and we are glad that it has paid off,” said Burkina Faso coach, Oumarou Kanazoé.
“Our team is young and talented, and we believe that we can cause a few upsets at the World Cup. We are going to do our best to represent Africa well.”
Morocco will be making their second appearance at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, having made their debut in 2013. Their last appearance was in 2019 when they reached the round of 16 but lost to Spain 2-1 in the knockout stage.
Speaking about their qualification, Morocco’s coach, Rachid Taoussi, said, “We are excited to have qualified for the U-17 World Cup.”
“Our team has shown a lot of potential in this tournament, and we believe that we can make a great impression on the world stage.”
Senegal will take part in their second World Cup, after their first appearance in 2019 where they reached the round of 16 and lost to Spain 2-1 in the knockout stage.
FIFA is yet to confirm the new host of the tournament after stripping Peru of the hosting rights, but the tournament finals are penned to be held from 10 November to 2 December 2023.
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