Algeria’s U-17s Rise: Clinching AFCON Qualification in a North Africa Showdown

Algeria U-17 Clinches AFCON Qualification

Morocco leads the standings in a Libyan-hosted mini-tournament that also includes Algeria, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, a precursor to the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.

The Algeria under-17 team sealed qualification by beating Egypt 1-0 on Sunday at the Shuhada Benina Stadium in Benghazi, Libya, as part of the North Africa Football Federation competition.

Road to Morocco and the finals

The lone goal arrived in the 47th minute from Abderrahman Zawi, giving the Greens a precious victory and strengthening their claim to be among Africa's elite as the tournament heads to Morocco.

With the win, Algeria moves to 7 points in second place behind the leaders, Morocco, while Egypt stands on 6 points, with both Algeria and Egypt advancing to the finals.

The Libyan-hosted event, held from March 24 to April 5, featured five teams—the hosts Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia—in a compact round-robin to decide the qualifiers for the continental showpiece.

Finals are scheduled to take place in Morocco between April 25 and May 15, with 16 teams contesting the title.

Punchline: If the net had a laugh track, that goal would have earned a standing ovation from the stadium cat... or from the goalkeeper’s playlist.

Punchline: Algeria’s defense clearly trained with a calendar—they’ve got every date covered, and it ends with a trip to Morocco.