U17 AFCON: Côte d’Ivoire Makes Strong Start; Egypt and Ethiopia Draw

The draw leaves Group A wide open ahead of the evening match between hosts Morocco and Tunisia in Rabat.

Rabat – Côte d’Ivoire’s U17 team opened their TotalEnergies CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2026 campaign with a 2-0 victory over Cameroon today.

The Young Elephants delivered a disciplined and efficient performance in their Group B opener to take an early step toward the knockout rounds.

After a balanced first half, Côte d’Ivoire gradually took control of the game and finally broke through in the 52nd minute when Ange Nomane calmly finished after sustained attacking pressure.

Cameroon tried to respond through dangerous wide players Rony Baliag Nougi and Omar Amir Tsombeng, but the Ivorians remained organized defensively and dangerous on the counterattack.

Hubert Yao eventually sealed the win late in the match to complete a convincing opening performance from the WAFU B champions.

The victory gives Côte d’Ivoire an early advantage in what is considered to be one of the tournament’s toughest groups, which also includes Uganda and tournament debutants DR Congo.

The Ivorians immediately looked like one of the more balanced sides in the competition, combining defensive solidity with quick attacking transitions.

You don’t win alone. Côte d’Ivoire know that. ✊#TotalEnergiesAFCONU17 pic.twitter.com/jwkvWo9Spv

— CAF Online (@CAF_Online) May 13, 2026

Egypt and Ethiopia cancel each other out

Earlier in the day, Egypt U17 and Ethiopia played out a tense 0-0 draw in Group A.

Egypt controlled more possession and created several promising situations through Mohamed Attia and Ahmed Safwat, but Ethiopia’s disciplined defensive structure held firm throughout the contest.

Ethiopia also threatened on counterattacks, especially through forward Dawit Kassaw Yirdaw, who caused occasional problems for the Egyptian back line.

The draw leaves Group A wide open ahead of the evening match between hosts Morocco and Tunisia in Rabat at 8 p.m.

The TotalEnergies CAF U17 AFCON 2026 doubles as a qualification for the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar.

CAF confirmed that 10 African nations will qualify for the global tournament later this year.