Senegal, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Mali to represent Africa at U17 World CupThe four sides sealed their places
The four sides sealed their places following the conclusion of the quarter-final matches at the U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Thursday.
At the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup, Africa will be
represented by Senegal, Burkina Faso, Morocco, and Mali.
Following the conclusion of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) quarterfinal matches on Thursday, the four teams secured their spots.
The 19th iteration of the biannual international men’s youth football competition will take place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2023, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
24 teams representing the under-17 national teams of FIFA member associations from six confederations compete in it.
It will take place in an undetermined location, initially Peru, from November 10 to December 2.
The event has been back after a 4-year break because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which compelled FIFA to postpone the 2021 edition.
The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria, who have made eight appearances and have won a record five FIFA U-17 World Cup titles (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013, and 2015), are the most successful team in the competition.
Additionally, they finished second three times (1987, 2001, and 2009).
Nigeria has also won the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations twice; their first victory came in 2001, and their most recent triumph came in 2007.
They finished third in 2003 and second on two occasions (1995, 2013).
With a fourth championship in 2019, Brazil is the current champion.
The U17 AFCON served as the qualifier,
therefore the four teams from Africa who advanced to the semifinals will represent the continent at the international competition.
Mali is the most seasoned team among those who qualified, having qualified five times prior. Their sixth qualifier is this one.
Their finest performance came in 2015, when they fell to rivals from Africa, Nigeria, in the championship game. Their most recent qualifying performance was a fourth-place showing in India in 2017.
In 1997 and 2001, they advanced to the quarterfinals; in 1999, they were eliminated in the group round.
In the meantime, Burkina Faso is returning to the international scene for the first time since their last qualifying in 2011, when they were eliminated in the group stages.
Their greatest ever result was in 2001 when they finished third after defeating Argentina 2-0 in the play-off. They have qualified for the World Cup a total of four times.
Morocco is attempting to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in their history after debuting in 2013, where they advanced to the round of 16.
Senegal, who debuted in 2019 after Guinea was eliminated, has now qualified for the World Cup for the second time in their history.
After placing second in their group during their inaugural campaign, they advanced to the round of 16. In the semifinals against Spain, they were defeated 2-1.
