History of the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations
The TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025 will take place from March 30-April 19 and give us a glimpse of the next generation of young African stars set to grace our football.
The finals will be a qualifier for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar that will be staged in November.
With the draw for the 2025 edition due to be held later this month, here is a brief history of the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 AFCON that is now entering its fifth decade.
HOW IT STARTED
The TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations has a long history dating back 40 years and started as knockout competition to determine the qualifiers for the 1985 FIFA Under-17 World Cup.It’s first three editions were in the Under-16 age group before CAF changed the rules ahead of the 1991 edition of the FIFA finals.
The first TotalEnergies CAF U17 AFCON edition to have a finals tournament was in 1995, when Mali played host to eight teams and Ghana claimed their first title, defeating Nigeria 3-1 in the final. Ghana were imperious, winning all five games, scoring 16 goals and conceding only one.
The likes of a 14-year-old Stephen Appiah went to the World Cup in Ecuador, which Ghana won too.
The TotalEnergies CAF U17 AFCON finals have been played every two years since then, bar 2021 when the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PAST WINNERS
Five nations have won the tournament twice since it was first played as a finals in 1995 – Ghana (1995, 1999), Nigeria (2001, 2007), Mali (2015, 2017), Cameroon (2003, 2019) and The Gambia (2005, 2009).
Gambia’s first triumph in 2005 was, quite remarkably, the only win so far by the host nation.
Egypt (1997), Burkina Faso (2011), Cote d’Ivoire (2013) and defending champions Senegal (2023) have each won the tournament once each.
Seven sides have made the final but have yet to lift the trophy, Sierra Leone (2003), Togo (2007), Algeria (2009), Rwanda (2011), South Africa (2015), Guinea (2019) and Morocco (2023).
MOST APPEARANCES AT THE FINALS
Mali and Nigeria have each appeared at 10 finals tournaments since 1995, the most of any nations. That includes the 2025 edition in Morocco, which Mali have qualified for but Nigeria have not. Next on the list is Burkina Faso and Cameroon, with eight appearances at the finals each.
The nation with the most finals appearances, but who has yet to win, is Guinea with seven. They did not enter the qualifiers for the TotalEnergies CAF U17 AFCON Morocco 2025.
SOME GREAT NAMES
Many current top players have passed through the TotalEnergies CAF U17 AFCON.
Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen won the Golden Boot in 2015, and his compatriot Kelechi Iheanacho was second two years before.
Bertrand Traoré was a star for Burkina Faso in 2011, while Malien midfielder Cheick Doucoure, now at Crystal Palace in the Premier League, was part of the 2021 tournament.