Kenya's U-17 squad during a training session/ HANDOUTThe Council of East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA) has confirmed that ten teams will compete in the 2026 TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) CECAFA qualifiers.
Ethiopia will host the zonal qualifiers from November 15 to December 4th, with the best two teams qualifying for the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Yusuf Mossi, the Cecafa competitions manager, said that this time round, several Member Associations have registered their teams for the qualifiers.
“Unlike last year, where we had only six teams, we have 10 teams that will take part in the qualifiers,” Mossi told Xinhua on the telephone. He explained that having several teams playing in the qualifiers will make the competition more competitive. “This is a pathway to the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and eventually the Fifa U-17 World Cup 2026,” explained Mossi.
The competitions manager also made it clear that they will have five teams play in each group, with the best two qualifying automatically for the semifinal stage. Uganda is one of the nations that has confirmed participation in the Zonal qualifiers.
The other nine teams participating in the Zonal qualifiers include Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi, Somalia, Djibouti, and Kenya.
Elsewhere, South Africa has been deducted three points in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after fielding an ineligible player, the country’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie has confirmed.
FIFA fined the South African Football Association (SAFA) 10,000 Swiss Francs (US$12,540). The ruling was made by the Fifa Disciplinary Committee and published on Monday.
“This development is deeply regrettable and has brought embarrassment to our nation and the game of football. We acknowledge that this situation has brought South Africa into disrepute, and we must take full responsibility for addressing it,” said McKenzie in a statement.
He, however, thanked FIFA for its swift action and for not making the country wonder and wait in agony about its fate. He added that the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) will launch an investigation into the “incompetence” that led to the Fifa sanction.
South Africa’s national men’s football team, dubbed Bafana Bafana, fielded midfielder Teboho Mokoena in their World Cup qualifier against Lesotho on March 21, despite the 28-year-old being on a one-match suspension for accumulating two yellow cards.
