Burkina Faso will face Benin, Ghana and Togo in Group A of the 2026 CAN U17 qualifiers for the UFOA-B zone, following the draw held in Ouagadougou on Thursday.
The tournament will be staged in the Burkina Faso capital from 10 to 23 October 2026, with the two teams that reach the final securing qualification for the CAN U17 final tournament.
Burkina Faso’s group brings together four sides, while Group B features Cote d’Ivoire, Niger and Nigeria. The draw has therefore divided the participating teams into two sections, with qualification for the continental finals at stake throughout the zonal competition.
The groups
Group A: Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana and Togo
Group B: Cote d’Ivoire, Niger and Nigeria
The hosts will begin their campaign in a group containing three neighbouring West African opponents. Benin, Ghana and Togo complete a section that will determine which teams progress to the decisive stages of the UFOA-B qualifiers.
Group B consists of three teams: Cote d’Ivoire, Niger and Nigeria. As with Group A, the route to the CAN U17 final tournament will run through the zonal competition’s final.
The draw took place in Ouagadougou, which will also host every match of the tournament between 10 and 23 October 2026. Burkina Faso will consequently combine hosting duties with the task of competing for one of the qualification places available from the UFOA-B zone.
Only the two finalists will earn tickets to the final phase of CAN U17. That makes reaching the final the central objective for all seven teams involved in the two groups.
Burkina Faso, Benin, Ghana and Togo will compete in Group A, while Cote d’Ivoire, Niger and Nigeria make up Group B. The tournament format means that the final pairing will have direct significance, as both teams involved in that match will qualify for the CAN U17 final tournament.