Somalia fails to progress in TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON

Somalia suffered a second defeat at the on-going TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

After falling 3-0 to Tunisia in their opening Group C match, Somalia suffered a 5-1 loss to The Gambia in a match played at the Ben M’Hamed ElAbdi Stadium on Friday.

Alieu Drammeh netted a hat-trick for The Gambia, while Bisenty Mendy netted another. Somalia’s Liban Kalif Mohamed also scored an own goal at the stroke of half time. Anas Isse Mohamed scored Somalia’s only goal.

Although they still have a match against Senegal, Somalia have failed to progress to the next stage of the competition. They join another CECAFA team Tanzania that has already lost two matches to Zambia and Uganda in Group A.

The top 10 teams at the U-17 AFCON will qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar as the CAF representatives.

Already Burkina Faso who have picked two wins in Group B have secured a place for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. CECAFA reigning champions Uganda Cubs who lost 5-0 to Morocco and beat Tanzania 3-0 will be hoping that they secure a win against Zambia to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.