Luanda - Angola men's U-17 national football team has been placed in Pot 1 of the draw for the group stage of the African Cup of Nations to be held in Morocco from March 30 to April 19.
In addition to Angola, the group includes hosts Morocco, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and UNIFFAC (Central African Regional Football Confederation).
The draw, which will take place on Thursday at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, will be presented by former Mali international Adama Coulibaly, assisted by Souleymane Camara.
UNIFFAC, represented by Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Congo and the Central African Republic, will compete for the final spot in the competition, which will be held in Douala, Cameroon, from February 16 to 28.
The other teams in the continental championship will be drawn into positions A2, B2, C2 and D2 (Pot 2), A3, B3, C3 and D3 (Pot 3) and A4, B4, C4 and D4 (Pot 4).
For the first time, 16 teams will compete in four groups, with the top two qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Angola's best ever finish in the competition was a bronze medal (3rd place) in 2019 in Tanzania, after beating Nigeria 2-1 in the qualifying round.
Angola made their first appearance at the 2019 World Cup in Brazil after reaching the semi-finals of the African Championship in Tanzania, where they beat Uganda 1-0, the hosts 4-2 and Nigeria 0-1.
Angola were also runners-up at the 2024 COSAFA Cup in Mozambique, where they lost 2-1 to Zambia.
Defending champions Senegal are in C1, Burkina Faso (third in 2023) in B and Mali (fourth in 2023) in D1. The two remaining African qualifying spots for the World Cup will be decided in a play-off between the third-placed teams in each group.
Senegal are the current holders of the title, which they will take to Algeria in 2023. IN/WR/DAN
