Morocco, Senegal, Egypt and Tanzania Reach CAF U-17 AFCON Semi-Finals

• Morocco, Senegal, Egypt and Tanzania Reach CAF U-17 AFCON Semi-Finals

Hosts Morocco will face defending champions Senegal in a heavyweight semi-final clash at the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations after a dramatic quarter-final round confirmed the tournament’s last four.

Egypt and Tanzania also booked their places in the semi-finals, setting up a compelling final stretch in a competition that has delivered goals, tension, penalty shootouts and rising stars across the continent.

All four semi-finalists had already secured qualification to the FIFA U-17 World Cup by reaching the quarter-finals, but Sunday’s matches shifted the focus firmly to the race for the African title.

Morocco kept alive their hopes of lifting the trophy on home soil after edging Cameroon 1-0 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé.

Mohamed Habib Zinbi scored the decisive goal in the 17th minute, calmly finishing into the bottom corner after Moroccan goalkeeper Rayan Yaakoubi had earlier produced an important save to deny Cameroon from close range.

The young Atlas Lions will now face Senegal, who survived one of the most dramatic matches of the quarter-finals against Mali.

The Young Lions of Teranga battled to a 1-1 draw despite being reduced to ten men before holding their nerve to win 4-2 on penalties.

Senegal goalkeeper Assane Sarr emerged as the hero of the shootout, making a crucial save from Aboubacar Maïga to send the defending champions into the semi-finals.

On the other side of the draw, Tanzania continued their fairytale run with a thrilling win over Algeria.

The East Africans advanced 4-3 on penalties after an entertaining 3-3 draw in normal time. Algeria twice went ahead in a pulsating contest, but Tanzania responded with remarkable resilience each time before showing composure in the shootout.

Their qualification for the semi-finals marks one of the stories of the tournament and reinforces Tanzania’s growing reputation as one of the competition’s surprise packages.

Egypt delivered the most dominant performance of the quarter-finals, sweeping past Côte d’Ivoire with an emphatic 4-1 victory.

Khaled Mokhtar scored twice as the young Pharaohs raced into a commanding lead with three first-half goals, effectively ending the contest before halftime. Egypt then managed the game with authority to secure a deserved place in the last four.

The semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday, May 28, at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.

Egypt will face Tanzania in the opening match before Morocco and Senegal meet later in the evening in what is expected to be one of the tournament’s most intense fixtures.

For Morocco, the semi-final offers a chance to continue their home campaign in front of passionate support. For Senegal, it is an opportunity to defend their crown and reaffirm their status as one of Africa’s strongest youth football programmes.

Egypt, meanwhile, will enter their clash with Tanzania full of confidence after their dominant quarter-final display. Tanzania, however, has already shown that it is capable of absorbing pressure, fighting back, and winning under knockout conditions.

The winners will advance to the final on Tuesday, June 2, while the losing semi-finalists will contest the third-place playoff a day earlier.

Semi-Final Fixtures — Thursday, May 28, 2026

The final four now offers a strong mix of pedigree and surprise: hosts Morocco, defending champions Senegal, resurgent Egypt and fearless Tanzania.

After a quarter-final round filled with drama, the U-17 AFCON title race has entered its most decisive stage.