Hosts Morocco held by resilient Tunisia on opening day at U-17 AFCON, Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda impress
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Hosts Morocco were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Tunisia in an intense North African derby at the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 on Wednesday evening.
Backed by strong home support at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium, the defending champions dominated possession for long periods but were frustrated by a disciplined Tunisian side.
Tunisia struck first in the 27th minute through Yahya Jlidi, whose composed finish stunned the home crowd and handed the Carthage Eaglets a valuable lead heading into halftime.
Morocco responded with greater urgency after the break, pushing forward in search of an equaliser as Tunisia remained compact defensively and dangerous on the counterattack.
The hosts finally found a breakthrough in the 76th minute when Ilian Hadidi finished clinically to bring Morocco level and ignite celebrations inside the stadium.
Despite late pressure from the home side, Tunisia held firm to secure an important point in a tightly contested Group A encounter.
Egypt 0-0 Ethiopia
The result leaves the group wide open following Egypt and Ethiopia’s goalless draw aftera tightly contested Group A encounter earlier in the day.
Both sides created promising moments but lacked the cutting edge in front of goal, with Egypt enjoying more possession while Ethiopia threatened on quick transitions through forward Dawit Kassaw Yirdaw.
Egypt’s Mohamed Attia and Ahmed Safwat showed flashes of creativity for the North Africans, but Ethiopia’s disciplined defensive organisation frustrated Hussein Abdel Latif’s side throughout the match.
Uganda 3-0 DR Congo
Uganda made a dream start to their TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over debutants DR Congo in their Group B clash on Wednesday.
The East Africans produced a composed and clinical performance to move level on points with Côte d’Ivoire at the top of the group after the Ivorians defeated Cameroon earlier in the day.
Uganda took control of the match through influential midfielder Owen Mukisa, who opened the scoring in the 37th minute after sustained pressure from the Cubs.
DR Congo struggled to recover before the break and Uganda doubled their advantage deep into first-half stoppage time when Nicholas Kawooya found the net in the 45+2 minute to hand his side a comfortable lead.
The Congolese attempted to respond after the restart, but Uganda remained disciplined defensively and dangerous on the counterattack.
Any hopes of a comeback were ended in the 82nd minute when Abdulshakur Babi added a third goal to complete an emphatic victory for coach Laryea Kingston’s side.
The result gives Uganda an early advantage in the race for a place in the knockout stages and FIFA U-17 World Cup qualification.
Cote d’Ivoire 2-0 Cameroon
Côte d’Ivoire made an emphatic start to their TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 campaign with a 2-0 victory over Cameroon on Wednesday, while Egypt and Ethiopia played out a tense goalless draw in the opening Group A fixture.
The Young Elephants produced a disciplined and clinical display to overcome the two-time champions in their Group B clash, with Ange Nomane and Hubert Yao finding the net in the second half to hand the West Africans an early advantage in the race for the knockout stages.
After a balanced opening period, Côte d’Ivoire gradually took control and were rewarded in the 52nd minute when Ange Nomane broke the deadlock with a composed finish following sustained attacking pressure.
Cameroon attempted to respond through their dangerous wide players, including Rony Baliag Nougi and Omar Amir Tsombeng, but the Ivorians remained compact defensively and dangerous on the counterattack.
Their victory was sealed late in the contest when Hubert Yao added a second goal, finishing calmly to cap an impressive performance from the WAFU B champions.
The result gives Côte d’Ivoire an ideal start in what is expected to be one of the tournament’s most competitive groups, which also includes Uganda and debutants DR Congo.
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