The head coach of the Serengeti Boys, Elieneza Nsanganzelu has made it clear that he has the belief that the can win the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.

Tanzania will be up against Senegal in the AFCOn U-17 final on Tuesday at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.

After topping the group, ejecting Algeria at the quarter final stage and seeing off Egypt in the semis, the Serengeti Boys are rearing to go all the way.

“We have been playing well since the tournament started and we have the confidence that we can win the trophy and take it back home,” says Nsanganzelu.

The coach however insists that his players must remain calm, follow their strategy and believe they can bring the trophy home.

The coach maintained that this is a final and the atmosphere is very different. “My players must play as a team and fight from the start to the end to carry the Tanzanian flag high,” added Nsanganzelu.

To reach the final hurdle Tanzania beat Mozambique and Angola by the same 3-0 scoreline, and went on to suffer a 2-1 defeat to Mali in Group C.

At the quarter final stage Tanzanian drew 3-3 with Algeria and came out top in penalty shoot-outs winning 4-3. Against Egypt they again won 4-3 in penalties after a 0-0 draw at the semi final stage.

Besides playing in the final of the AFCON U-17, Tanzania and Uganda from the CECAFA Zone have also booked slots in the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026.

The Serengeti Boys of Tanzania have advanced to the semi-final stage at the on-going TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2026.

Tanzania, the 2025 CECAFA regional U-17 champions ejected Algeria at the quarter final stage of the tournament in a quarter final match played on Sunday.

After a 3-3 draw, Tanzania were the better side winning 4-3 in penalty shoot-outs in a match played at the Mohammed VI Football Academy Pitch 11 in Rabat, Morocco.

Mouhamed Valmy netted a first half brace as Algeria took a 2-1 lead after 45 minutes. Dismas Athanas pulled a goal back for the Seregenti Boys.

In the second half Noam Benramdane scored another goal for the North Africans, while Dismas Athanas and Luqman Mbalasalu had their names on the score board too as the match headed to penalty shoot-outs.

Tanzania converted all their penalty kicks, while Mouhamed Valmy missed for Algeria.

The Serengeti Boys now awat to face the winner betwee Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt at the semi final stage on May 28^th.

Uganda Cubs have qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026 to take place in Qatar.

Under head coach Laryea Kingston, the determined Ugandan team defeated Ghana 8-7 in penalty shoot-outs in one of the second play-off match played on Saturday night at the Mohammed VI Football Complex.

Uganda leveled late in the match to make it 2-2 before the match was decided on penalties. Eric Gyamfi gave Ghana the lead after 9 minutes, but Owen Mukisa leveled matters to make it 1-1 after 34 minutes.

After recess Ghana again found space in the Ugandan backline to make it 2-1 after 51 minutes through Abdul Latif. With one minute of added time Uganda were awarded a penalty and Arafat Ibanda made no mistake from the spot.

Uganda converted all her eight penalties, while Jacob Kpoeti missed for Ghana to hand the Cubs the opportunity to book a lost in their second straight FIFA U-17 World Cup.

In an earlier play-off another CECAFA team failed to book a place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup after losing 5-4 to Mozambique during penalty kicks after the match had tied 1-1.

CECAFA will now be represented by Tanzania and Uganda at the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Tanzania will continue at the quarter final stage when they face Algeria on Sunday in a quarter final stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on-going in Morocco.

The Serengeti Boys of Tanzania will face Algeria in the quarter final stage at the on-going TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

After stopping Mozambique and Angola by a 3-0 goal margin in the first two matches of Group C, Tanzania lost the last match 2-1, but remained top of the log.

The Tanzania team that has already booked a slot for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026 will now take on Algeria in a quarter final match on May 24^th. The winner will take on the winner between Cote d’Ivoire and Egypt at the semi final stage.

Elieneza Nsanganzelu, the Tanzania head coach said that they are happy to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup and now look forward to performing well in the knock out stage of the AFCON U-17.

“We have achieved the first mission and now we are targeting the second mission which is winning the AFCON U-17 title,” says Nsanganzelu.

In the other quarter final matches hosts Morocco will face Cameroon, while Senegal take on Mali.

CECAFA teams Uganda and Ethiopia will also have the opportunity of qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup when they face Ghana and Mozambique respectively on May 23^rd.

The top two teams in each of the four groups already earned direct qualification to the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026, while the four in the play-off battle for the remaining two places. A total of 10 teams will represent Africa at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2026 in Qatar.