Ten countries set for the CAF U-17 Cecafa zonal qualifiers

U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers (CECAFA Region):

• 11^th – 26^th August 2018
• To be hosted by Tanzania (National Stadium & Chamazi Stadia)

Ten countries will tussle out for the available one CECAFA slot in the qualifiers of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

Hosts Tanzania will be joined by Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and Sudan in group A.

Group B has Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Djibouti.

The cecafa regional qualifiers will kick off on 11^th August and climax on Sunday, 26^th August 2018 at the National stadium in Dar es salaam.

For the first ever, the qualifiers for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations will for the first time be played on a zonal basis (regional), to determine the seven teams to join host Tanzania for next year’s final tournament.

The decision, one of the key elements among the resolutions of the first ever CAF African Football Symposium in July 2017 in Rabat (Morocco), was approved by the CAF Executive Committee.

The new format is expected to increase participation at the level of teams in the qualifiers, enhanced exposure and competitiveness by getting all involved.

Since 1995, an average of 30 teams engaged in the qualifiers, representing about 54 per cent of the CAF membership.

CAF General Secretary Amr Fahmy as quoted by the CAF website, notes;

 The response has been great. A total of 49 Member Associations, have confirmed their participation, which is a record compared to the previous years. We will get to see teams that never participated and rarely made an impact at the youth level. The U-17 is the nursery of our competitions and every eligible player must be given the opportunity to participate.  We have been preparing for the past months in the areas of logistics, organisation and infrastructure, and I can confidently say, we are ready for the kick off.

Each of the six Zonal Unions (CECAFA, COSAFA, UNAF, UNIFFAC, WAFU A, WAFU B) will organise their regional qualifiers featuring teams from the zone. UEFA, through its UEFA ASSIST programme, is supporting the qualifiers.

From mid-July to September, the qualifiers will take off from Mauritius (COSAFA), through Equatorial Guinea (UNIFFAC), Tanzania (CECAFA), Tunisia (UNAF), Senegal (WAFU A) before terminating in Niger (WAFU B).

The winner of each zonal competition qualifies for the final tournament, with the exception of the zone of the previous winner, entitled to two slots.

Since Mali won the title in 2017, WAFU A will qualify two teams.

Meanwhile, all players selected for the tournament are expected to undergo mandatory Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to determine their eligibility to participate.

CECAFA U-17 Zonal Qualification:

Groups:

• A: Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Sudan
• B: Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Djibouti

Fixtures:

Saturday, 11^th August:

• Rwanda Vs Sudan – National Stadium
• Tanzania Vs Burundi – National Stadium

Sunday, 12^th August:

• South Sudan Vs Djibouti – Chamazi
• Uganda Vs Ethiopia – Chamazi

Monday, 13^th August:

• Sudan Vs Somalia – Chamazi
• Burundi Vs Rwanda – Chamazi

Tuesday, 14^th August:

• Kenya Vs South Sudan – National Stadium
• Djibouti Vs Ethiopia – National Stadium

Wednesday, 15^th August: Rest Day

Thursday, 16^th August:

• Somalia Vs Rwanda – National Stadium
• Sudan Vs Tanzania – National Stadium

Friday, 17^th August:

• South Sudan Vs Uganda – Chamazi
• Djibouti Vs Kenya – Chamazi

Saturday, 18^th August:

• Burundi Vs Sudan – Chamazi
• Tanzania Vs Somalia – Chamazi

Sunday, 19^th August:

• Ethiopia Vs South Sudan – National Stadium
• Kenya Vs Uganda – National Stadium

Monday, 20^th August: Rest Day

Tuesday, 21^st August:

• Somalia Vs Burundi – National Stadium
• Rwanda Vs Tanzania – National Stadium

Wednesday, 22^nd August:

• Uganda Vs Djibouti – Chamazi
• Ethiopia Vs Kenya – Chamazi

Thursday, 23^rd August: Rest Day

Friday, 24^th August:

• Semi- final 1: Winner A Vs Runners up B – National Stadium
• Semi-final 2: Winner B Vs Runners up A – National Stadium

Saturday, 25^th August: Rest Day

Sunday, 26^th August:

• Third place play off and Final – National Stadium

Monday, 27^th August:

• Departures