The draw for the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup 2026 African Qualifiers took place in Rabat, Morocco, on Saturday, setting the stage for 31 teams vying for four spots in the finals. Assisted by Jacqueline Shipanga, the event outlined three knockout rounds with two-legged ties. Nigeria advances directly to the second round, while other matchups begin in April.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) conducted the draw for the African qualifiers to the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup Morocco 2026 in Rabat on Saturday. This event marks the start of the continental campaign, involving 31 teams in a series of knockout rounds. Each round features two-legged home-and-away ties, culminating in four qualifiers for the global finals hosted in Morocco.
Jacqueline Shipanga, Technical Director of the Namibia Football Federation, CAF Elite Instructor, and former coach of the Namibia Women's National Team, assisted in the draw. Nigeria receives a bye and proceeds directly to the second round. The first round kicks off with first-leg matches on April 10-12 and second legs on April 17-19. Key pairings include Niger versus Guinea, Burkina Faso versus Benin, Sierra Leone versus Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia versus Senegal, Algeria versus Cameroon, Togo versus Ghana, Libya versus Liberia, Rwanda versus Zambia, DR Congo versus Djibouti, South Sudan versus Ethiopia, Malawi versus Burundi, Botswana versus Tanzania, Central African Republic versus South Africa, and Zimbabwe versus Uganda.
The second round is scheduled for May 22-24 (first legs) and May 29-31 (second legs), pitting winners of first-round matches against each other, including Nigeria's opponent from Niger or Guinea. The third and final round will occur on July 3-5 (first legs) and July 10-12 (second legs), determining the four teams that advance to the World Cup finals.
Prior to the draw, CAF announced it would be streamed live on CAF TV starting at 13:00 local time (12:00 GMT). The participating teams are Algeria, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.