Africa’s road to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026 has reached its most decisive stage, with eight teams left fighting for four qualification tickets to the global finals.
The final round will be played over two legs in July, with the winners joining host nation Morocco at the tournament, scheduled from 17 October to 7 November 2026. CAF confirmed that the qualification campaign features three home-and-away knockout rounds, with only the four winners from the final round earning Africa’s remaining World Cup places.
The final-round fixtures are:
Nigeria vs Benin Senegal vs Ghana Zambia vs Ethiopia South Africa vs Kenya
For Ethiopia and Kenya, the final round represents another important moment for the CECAFA region. Ethiopia advanced after defeating Burundi 4-2 on aggregate, winning both legs 2-1. In the return leg in Bujumbura, Mihret Ayele and Lydia Eyasu scored the second-half goals that sent Ethiopia through. Kenya also progressed after a tense East African derby against Uganda, advancing on the away-goals rule after a 1-1 draw in Kampala and a goalless return leg in Nairobi.
Ethiopia will now face a powerful Zambia side that has become one of Africa’s most consistent youth women’s teams. Zambia reached the final round after eliminating DR Congo 7-0 on aggregate, and the Copper Princesses will host Ethiopia on 4 July at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola before travelling to Addis Ababa for the second leg a week later.
Zambia head coach Carol Kanyemba has already moved early in preparation, naming a 35-player provisional squad for the Ethiopia tie. The squad includes England-based youngster Asher Mwamba, who received a debut call-up, while Kanyemba has retained the core of the team that carried Zambia through the earlier rounds.
Zambia enter the tie with history on their side. The team has previously qualified for the U-17 Women’s World Cup three times, including the 2024 and 2025 editions, and reached the Round of 16 in 2025 their best finish at the competition. Ethiopia, however, will arrive with confidence after a strong qualifying run and will see the tie as an opportunity to make a major statement for Ethiopian girls’ football.
Another major final-round clash will see South Africa’s Bantwana take on Kenya’s Junior Starlets. South Africa booked their place by beating Tanzania 2-0 on aggregate, while Kenya survived a difficult derby against Uganda. South Africa will host the first leg before travelling to Kenya for the return match.
Bantwana head coach Ntombifuthi Khumalo has named a 23-player squad for the Kenya decider, keeping most of the group that defeated Tanzania and making only limited changes as South Africa look to return to the world stage. Khumalo has repeatedly spoken about the importance of discipline, growth and belief in young players, describing big tournaments such as World Cup qualifiers as an opportunity for girls to develop and prove themselves.
South Africa have appeared twice before at the U-17 Women’s World Cup, in 2010 and 2018, but exited in the group stage on both occasions. Kenya, meanwhile, are chasing another historic qualification moment after continuing to develop one of East Africa’s most competitive girls’ youth programmes.
The Nigeria-Benin and Senegal-Ghana ties add further weight to a final round filled with regional rivalry and continental pedigree. Nigeria remain one of Africa’s strongest nations at this level, while Ghana and Senegal bring strong youth football traditions into a round where every goal across 180 minutes could decide a World Cup dream.
With Morocco already qualified as host, the final round is not only about reaching a tournament. It is about proving which African nations are building the strongest foundations in girls’ football. For Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Nigeria, Benin, Senegal and Ghana, July will be the month when preparation, talent and pressure meet on the road to Morocco.
