Wikipedia

2023 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

The 2023 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualification was a men's under-17 football competition which decided the participating teams of the 2023 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

2023 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
Tournament details
Host countriesAlgeria (North Zone)
Mauritania (West A Zone)
Ghana (West B Zone)
Cameroon (Central Zone)
Ethiopia (Central-East Zone)
Malawi (South Zone)
Dates11 June 2022 – 18 January 2023
Tournament statistics
Matches played52
Goals scored185 (3.56 per match)
Top scorer(s)South Africa Siyabonga Mabena (9 goals)
← 2021
2025 →

Players born 1 January 2006 or later were eligible to participate in the competition. A total of twelve teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including Algeria who qualified automatically as hosts.[1]

Teams

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Since the 2021 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations was cancelled, this will be the first edition in Africa U-17 Cup of Nations to have expanded to 12 teams instead of eight. Each of the six zones received two spots in the final tournament.

Zone Spots Teams entering qualification Did not enter
North Zone
(UNAF) 		1 spot
+ hosts
West A Zone
(WAFU-UFOA A) 		2 spots
West B Zone
(WAFU-UFOA B) 		2 spots
Central Zone
(UNIFFAC) 		2 spots
Central-East Zone
(CECAFA) 		2 spots
South Zone
(COSAFA) 		2 spots
Notes
  • Teams in bold qualified for the final tournament.
  • (H): Qualifying tournament hosts
  • (Q): Automatically qualified for final tournament regardless of qualification results
  • (W): Withdrew
  • (D): Disqualified

Schedule

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The qualifying competition was split into regional competitions, with the teams entering the qualifying tournament of their zone. The schedule of each qualifying zone was as follows.

Zone Group stage Knockout stage
West B Zone[9] 11–18 June 2022 21–24 June 2022
West A Zone[10] 1–5 October 2022 7–9 October 2022
Central-East Zone[11] 3–9 October 2022 12–15 October 2022
North Zone[12] 8–14 November 2022 —
South Zone[13] 2–7 December 2022 9–11 December 2022
Central Zone 12–18 January 2023 —

North Zone

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Main article: 2022 UNAF U-17 Tournament

The 2022 UNAF U-17 Tournament, which also served as the qualifiers for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, took place between 8 and 14 November 2022 in Algiers, Algeria.[12] The four teams were placed in one group, with the winners qualifying for the final tournament. Algeria didn't participate in the tournament, as were automatically qualified for the final tournament as hosts.

All times are local, DPRA (UTC+1).

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Morocco 3 3 0 0 5 1 +4 9 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations
2   Egypt 3 1 0 2 5 5 0 3
3   Libya 3 1 0 2 4 5 −1 3
4   Tunisia 3 1 0 2 4 7 −3 3
Source: UNAF
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Tunisia  0–2  Morocco
Report
Referee: Abdoul Karim Twagiramukiza (Rwanda)
Libya  2–1  Egypt
 Report
Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers
Referee: Lahlou Benbraham (Algeria)
Egypt  3–1  Tunisia
 Report
Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers
Referee: Mohamed Agha (Libya)
Morocco  1–0  Libya
 Report
Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers
Referee: Youcef Gamouh (Algeria)
Tunisia  3–2  Libya
 Report
Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers
Referee: Lahlou Benbraham (Algeria)
Egypt  1–2  Morocco
 Report
Referee: Abdoul Karim Twagirumukiza (Rwanda)

West A Zone

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The WAFU-UFOA Zone A qualifiers for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations were hosted by Mauritania with the matches played between 1 and 9 October 2022.[14] The draw was announced on 21 July 2022.[10]

All times are local, GMT (UTC±0).

Group stage

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The six teams were drawn into two groups of three teams. The winners and the runners-up of each group advanced to the semi-finals.

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Sierra Leone 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 3 Semi-finals
2   Mauritania (H) 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 0
3   Liberia (D) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Disqualified[a]
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Group tiebreakers
(D) Disqualified; (H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ On 3 October, Liberia were disqualified from the qualifiers after two of their players failed to pass the MRI test. After this, both of their matches were cancelled and the group standings was decided only by the first match played on 1 October between Mauritania and Sierra Leone.[2]
Mauritania  0–3  Sierra Leone
Report
Referee: Lenine dos Santos (Cape Verde)
Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Mali 2 2 0 0 9 2 +7 6 Semi-finals
2   Senegal 2 1 0 1 7 2 +5 3
3   Cape Verde 2 0 0 2 1 13 −12 0
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Group tiebreakers
Cape Verde  0–6  Senegal
Report
Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya, Nouakchott
Referee: Alhaji Kabia (Sierra Leone)
Mali  7–1  Cape Verde
 Report
Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya, Nouakchott
Referee: Stanley Konah (Liberia)
Senegal  1–2  Mali
 Report
Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya, Nouakchott
Referee: Mathioro Diabel (Mauritania)

Knockout stage

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Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
7 October – Cheikha Boïdiya
 
 
  Sierra Leone0 (5)
 
9 October – Cheikha Boïdiya
 
  Senegal (p)0 (6)
 
  Senegal1 (2)
 
7 October – Cheikha Boïdiya
 
  Mali (p)1 (4)
 
  Mali2
 
 
  Mauritania0
 
Semi-finals

Winners qualified for 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

Sierra Leone  0–0  Senegal
Report
Penalties
 5–6
Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya, Nouakchott
Referee: Raimundo Correia (Guinea-Bissau)
Mali  2–0  Mauritania
 Report
Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya, Nouakchott
Referee: Aïssatou Kanté (Guinea)
Final
Senegal  1–1  Mali
 Report
Penalties
 2–4
Stade Cheikha Ould Boïdiya, Nouakchott
Referee: Alhasan Bass (Gambia)

West B Zone

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The WAFU-UFOA Zone B qualifiers for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations were hosted by Ghana with the matches played between 11 and 24 June 2022.[15] The draw was announced on 15 April 2022.[9]

All times are local, GMT (UTC±0).

Group stage

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The seven teams were drawn into two groups of three and four teams. The winners and the runners-up of each group advanced to the semi-finals.

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Nigeria 2 2 0 0 7 3 +4 6 Semi-finals
2   Ghana (H) 2 1 0 1 5 4 +1 3
3   Togo 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 0
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Group tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Ghana  2–4  Nigeria
 Report
Referee: Daniel Luc Kassa (Benin)
Nigeria  3–1  Togo
 Report
Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast
Referee: Tuoniféré Soro (Ivory Coast)
Togo  0–3  Ghana
Report
Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast
Referee: Sadou Ali Brahamou (Niger)
Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Burkina Faso 3 3 0 0 8 4 +4 9 Semi-finals
2   Ivory Coast 3 1 0 2 10 8 +2 3
3   Benin 3 1 0 2 5 7 −2 3
4   Niger 3 1 0 2 5 9 −4 3
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Group tiebreakers
Ivory Coast  2–3  Benin
 Report
Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast
Referee: Benoît Bado (Burkina Faso)
Burkina Faso  2–1  Niger
 Report
Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast
Referee: Julian Nunoo (Ghana)
Niger  1–6  Ivory Coast
 Report
Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast
Referee: Abdulsalam Kassim (Nigeria)
Benin  1–2  Burkina Faso
 Report
Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast
Referee: Gnama Aklesso (Togo)
Niger  3–1  Benin
 Report
Ivory Coast  2–4  Burkina Faso
 Report
Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast
Referee: Julian Nunoo (Ghana)

Knockout stage

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Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
21 June – Cape Coast Stadium
 
 
  Nigeria3
 
24 June – Cape Coast Stadium
 
  Ivory Coast1
 
  Nigeria2
 
21 June – Cape Coast Stadium
 
  Burkina Faso1
 
  Burkina Faso1
 
 
  Ghana0
 
Third place
 
 
24 June – Cape Coast Stadium
 
 
  Ivory Coast2
 
 
  Ghana3
Semi-finals

Winners qualified for 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

Nigeria  3–1  Ivory Coast
 Report
Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast
Referee: Sadou Ali Brahamou (Niger)
Burkina Faso  1–0  Ghana
 Report
Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast
Referee: Gnama Aklesso (Togo)
Third place
Ivory Coast  2–3  Ghana
 Report
Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast
Referee: Benoît Bado (Burkina Faso)
Final
Nigeria  2–1  Burkina Faso
 Report
Cape Coast Sports Stadium, Cape Coast
Referee: Julian Nunoo (Ghana)

Central Zone

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The UNIFFAC qualifiers for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations were planned to be held in Cameroon between 7–12 January 2023 but was postponed and eventually played between 12 and 18 January 2023 due to a number of players being deemed overage by the MRI tests for Chad, DR Congo and Cameroon.[16][17][3]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Cameroon (H) 2 2 0 0 6 0 +6 6 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations
2   Congo 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 3
3   Central African Republic 2 0 0 2 0 7 −7 0
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Group tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Central African Republic  0–4  Cameroon
Report
Cameroon  2–0  Congo
 Report
Limbe Stadium, Limbé
Congo  3–0  Central African Republic
 Report
Limbe Stadium, Limbé

Central-East Zone

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Main article: 2022 CECAFA U-17 Championship

The CECAFA qualifiers for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations were hosted by Ethiopia, with the matches played between 2 and 19 October 2022. The draw was announced on 15 September 2022.[18][19]

All times are local, EAT (UTC+3).

Group stage

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The ten teams were initially drawn into two groups of five teams. Ethiopia, Tanzania, Somalia, South Sudan and Eritrea were drawn into Group A and Uganda, Djibouti, Sudan, Burundi and Rwanda were drawn into Group B. However, on 26 September, Eritrea and Rwanda withdrew from the competition, leaving both the groups with four teams.[5][6] On 1 October, Djibouti and Sudan were disqualified from the tournament after some of their players failed the MRI test, leaving Group B with only two teams.[4]

A redraw was then conducted on 2 October, with three teams drawn in two groups.[11] The winners and the runners-up of each group advanced to the semi-finals.

Group A
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Tanzania 2 2 0 0 5 3 +2 6 Semi-finals
2   Somalia 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3
3   Ethiopia (H) 2 0 0 2 2 4 −2 0
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Group tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Ethiopia  0–1  Somalia
Report
Referee: Djaffari Nduwimana (Burundi)
Tanzania  3–2  Ethiopia
 Report
Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa
Referee: Jelly Chavani (South Africa)
Somalia  1–2  Tanzania
 Report
Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa
Referee: Yasir Abdelaziz (Sudan)
Group B
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Uganda 2 2 0 0 8 1 +7 6 Semi-finals
2   South Sudan 2 0 1 1 2 5 −3 1
3   Burundi 2 0 1 1 1 5 −4 1
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: Group tiebreakers
Uganda  4–0  Burundi
 Report
Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa
Referee: Abdulsalam Kassim (Nigeria)
South Sudan  1–4  Uganda
 Report
Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa
Referee: Ahmed Arajiga (Tanzania)
Burundi  1–1  South Sudan
 Report
Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa
Referee: Shamirah Nabadda (Uganda)

Knockout stage

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Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
12 October – Abebe Bikila Stadium
 
 
  Uganda1 (7)
 
15 October – Abebe Bikila Stadium
 
  Somalia (p)1 (8)
 
  Somalia3
 
12 October – Abebe Bikila Stadium
 
  South Sudan1
 
  Tanzania1 (3)
 
 
  South Sudan (p)1 (4)
 
Third place
 
 
15 October – Abebe Bikila Stadium
 
 
  Uganda1 (1)
 
 
  Tanzania (p)1 (4)
Semi-finals

Winners qualified for 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

Uganda  1–1  Somalia
 Report
Penalties
 7–8
Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa
Referee: Tewodros Mitiku (Ethiopia)
Tanzania  1–1  South Sudan
 Report
Penalties
 3–4
Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa
Referee: Abdulsalam Kassim (Nigeria)
Third place
Uganda  1–1  Tanzania
 Report
Penalties
 1–4
Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa
Referee: Nasser Houssein (Djibouti)
Final
Somalia  3–1  South Sudan
 Report
Abebe Bikila Stadium, Addis Ababa
Referee: Shamirah Nabadda (Uganda)

South Zone

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Main article: 2022 COSAFA Under-17 Championship

The COSAFA qualifiers for the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations were played between 2 and 11 December 2022 in Malawi. The draw was announced on 4 November 2022.[13]

All times are local, CAT (UTC+2).

Group stage

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The nine teams were initially drawn into three groups of three teams. Malawi, Botswana and Namibia were drawn into Group A; Angola, South Africa and Mauritius were drawn into Group B; and Zambia, Mozambique and Seychelles were drawn into Group C.

However, a few days later, Mauritius withdrew from the competition, leaving Group B with only two teams. A redraw was then conducted on 29 November, with eight teams drawn into two groups of four teams.[8] The winners and the runners-up of each group advanced to the semi-finals.

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Malawi (H) 2 1 1 0 4 3 +1 4 Semi-finals
2   Botswana 2 1 1 0 3 2 +1 4
3   Namibia 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2 0
4   Angola (D) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Disqualified[a]
Source: COSAFA.com
(D) Disqualified; (H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. ^ On 1 December, Angola were disqualified from the qualifiers after a few of their players failed to pass the MRI test.[7]
Malawi  2–2  Botswana
 Report
Referee: Njaka Raharimanantsoa (Madagascar)
Malawi  2–1  Namibia
 Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Wilson Muianga (Mozambique)
Namibia  0–1  Botswana
Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Darrio Landry (Seychelles)
Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Zambia 3 3 0 0 9 1 +8 9 Semi-finals
2   South Africa 3 2 0 1 12 1 +11 6
3   Mozambique 3 0 1 2 0 2 −2 1
4   Seychelles 3 0 1 2 1 18 −17 1
Source: COSAFA.com
Seychelles  0–11  South Africa
Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Thokozani Dlamini (Eswatini)
Zambia  1–0  Mozambique
 Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)
Mozambique  0–1  South Africa
Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Thembinkosi Dlamini (Eswatini)
Zambia  7–1  Seychelles
 Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Eness Gumbo (Malawi)
Seychelles  0–0  Mozambique
Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Samuel Nghipandulwa (Namibia)
South Africa  0–1  Zambia
Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Wilson Muianga (Mozambique)

Knockout stage

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Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
9 December – Bingu National
 
 
  Zambia4
 
11 December – Bingu National
 
  Botswana2
 
  Zambia1
 
9 December – Bingu National
 
  South Africa0
 
  Malawi1
 
 
  South Africa5
 
Third place
 
 
11 December – Bingu National
 
 
  Botswana2
 
 
  Malawi5
Semi-finals

Winners qualified for 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

Zambia  4–2  Botswana
 Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)
Malawi  1–5  South Africa
 Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Wilson Muianga (Mozambique)
Third place
Botswana  2–5  Malawi
 Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Wilson Muianga (Mozambique)
Final
Zambia  1–0  South Africa
 Report
Bingu National Stadium, Lilongwe
Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)

Qualified teams

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The following 12 teams qualified for the final tournament.[20] However, South Sudan was disqualified from the tournament after 5 players failed the MRI test.[21]

Team Zone Qualified on Previous appearances in Africa U-17 Cup of Nations1
only final tournament era (since 1995)
  Algeria (hosts) North Zone 17 May 2021[1] 1 (2009)
  Nigeria West B Zone 21 June 2022 9 (1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2019)
  Burkina Faso West B Zone 21 June 2022 6 (1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011)
  Senegal West A Zone 7 October 2022 2 (2011, 2019)
  Mali West A Zone 7 October 2022 8 (1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2011, 2015, 2017)
  Somalia Central-East Zone 12 October 2022 0 (debut)
  South Sudan Central-East Zone 12 October 2022 0 (debut)
  Morocco North Zone 14 November 2022 2 (2013, 2019)
  Zambia South Zone 9 December 2022 1 (2015)
  South Africa South Zone 9 December 2022 3 (2005, 2007, 2015)
  Cameroon Central Zone 15 January 2023 7 (1999, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2015, 2017, 2019)
  Congo Central Zone 18 January 2023 2 (2011, 2013)
1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Goalscorers

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There were 185 goals scored in 52 matches, for an average of 3.56 goals per match.

9 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Liberia were disqualified from the qualifiers after two of their players failed to pass the MRI test.[2]
  2. ^ a b Chad and DR Congo were disqualified from the qualifiers after one of their players failed to pass the MRI test.[3]
  3. ^ a b Djibouti & Sudan were disqualified from the qualifiers after some of their players failed to pass the MRI test.[4]
  4. ^ a b Eritrea & Rwanda withdrew from the qualifiers after the group stage draw was conducted.[5][6]
  5. ^ Angola were disqualified from the qualifiers after a few of their players failed to pass the MRI test.[7]
  6. ^ Mauritius withdrew from the qualifiers after the group stage draw was conducted.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Decisions of CAF Executive". sportnewsafrica. 29 September 2021. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b Bonaventure, Kolog (3 October 2022). "Liberia disqualified from U17 tournament in Mauritania for age-cheating". ghanasportscenter.com. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b Bonaventure, Kolog (12 January 2023). "Le Tchad disqualifié, le tournoi UNIFFAC vire au fiasco". sportnewsafrica.com.
  4. ^ a b "Djibouti, Sudan disqualified from U-17 AFCON qualifiers". CECAFA. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Eritrea, Rwanda withdraw from U-17 AFCON qualifiers". cecafaonline.com. 26 September 2022.
  6. ^ a b Gyimah, Edmund Okai (28 September 2022). "Rwanda withdraws from Cecafa U-17 tourney". New Times. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  7. ^ a b Ndlovu, Maqonda (1 December 2022). "Change of fixture for U-17 football team". nampa.org. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
  8. ^ a b "New format for TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations". cosafa.com. 29 November 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Ghana to face arch-rivals Nigeria in WAFU B U20 & U17 Championship". CAF. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Zonal Qualifiers for U-17, U-23 WAFCON draw unveiled". 21 July 2022. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Uganda Cubs to open against Burundi". CECAFA. 2 October 2022.
  12. ^ a b "33 joueurs en regroupement à Alger". DZFoot. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Draw completed for TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup Of Nations". COSAFA. 4 November 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  14. ^ "Sierra Leone to open Wafu U17 against host Mauritania". 30 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Ghana set to stage WAFU-B U17 Championship, tourney set for Saturday kick off". 10 June 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  16. ^ "les u20 et u17 fixes sur leurs adversaires a luniffac". www.leopardsfoot.com. 30 October 2022.
  17. ^ "uniffac-u-17-20-pairings-made". www.cafonline.com. 20 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Uganda to face Rwanda in TotalEnergies U-17 AFCON qualifiers for CECAFA Zone". CAF. 15 September 2022.
  19. ^ "South Africa's Chavani to officiate U-17 AFCON qualifiers for CECAFA". cecafaonline.com. 30 September 2022.
  20. ^ "TotalEnergies U-17 AFCON draw to be conducted on Wednesday 01 February". CAF. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  21. ^ Ninrew, Chany (2023-04-30). "South Sudan U17 disqualified in AFCON over age test". Eye Radio. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
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