2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

The 2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification is the 13th edition of the biennial African youth football competition organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to determine which African women's under-20 national teams qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Players born on or after 1 January 2006 are eligible to compete.

Four teams will qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland as the CAF representatives.

Draw

2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

The draw was held on 12 December 2024 at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

• First Round: The 12 lowest-ranked teams, based on previous U-20 Women's World Cup qualifiers performance, will contest in this round. The six winners will advance to join the 26 top-ranked teams exempted from the first round. • Second Round: The six first-round winners and 26 exempted teams will form 32 teams. These will battle it out for 16 spots in the third round. • Third Round: The remaining 16 teams will compete in a knockout format to determine the eight teams advancing to the fourth round. • Fourth Round: The final eight teams will play knockout ties, with the winners earning qualification to the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

Entrants

A total of 38 (out of 54) CAF member associations registered teams for the competition. The teams were seeded based on their performance in the previous qualifying campaign. The four lowest-ranked teams, along with eight associations that did not participate in the previous edition, entered the first round, which featured six ties. The winners of these ties advanced to the second round.

<table><thead><tr><th>Pos</th><th>Team</th><th>Pld</th><th>W</th><th>D</th><th>L</th><th>GF</th><th>GA</th><th>GD</th><th>Pts</th><th>Round reached</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td> Ghana</td><td>6</td><td>6</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>21</td><td>2</td><td>+19</td><td>18</td><td>2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td> Cameroon</td><td>6</td><td>5</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>17</td><td>6</td><td>+11</td><td>16</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td> Nigeria</td><td>6</td><td>5</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>11</td><td>2</td><td>+9</td><td>16</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td> Morocco</td><td>6</td><td>4</td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>12</td><td>2</td><td>+10</td><td>13</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td> Ethiopia</td><td>6</td><td>4</td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>12</td><td>4</td><td>+8</td><td>13</td><td>Fourth round</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td> Egypt</td><td>6</td><td>3</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>28</td><td>6</td><td>+22</td><td>11</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td> Senegal</td><td>6</td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>5</td><td>8</td><td>−3</td><td>8</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td> Burundi</td><td>6</td><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>3</td><td>5</td><td>7</td><td>−2</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td> Tanzania</td><td>4</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>14</td><td>3</td><td>+11</td><td>7</td><td>Third round</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td> Uganda</td><td>4</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>9</td><td>2</td><td>+7</td><td>7</td></tr><tr><td>11</td><td> Congo</td><td>4</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>6</td><td>8</td><td>−2</td><td>7</td></tr><tr><td>12</td><td> Kenya</td><td>4</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>12</td><td>7</td><td>+5</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>13</td><td> Guinea</td><td>4</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>10</td><td>5</td><td>+5</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>14</td><td> Eswatini</td><td>4</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>7</td><td>8</td><td>−1</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>15</td><td> DR Congo</td><td>4</td><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>5</td><td>5</td><td>0</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>16</td><td> Mali</td><td>4</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>3</td><td>2</td><td>8</td><td>−6</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td>17</td><td> Algeria</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>3</td><td>Second round</td></tr><tr><td>18</td><td> South Africa</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td></tr><tr><td>19</td><td> Zambia</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>2</td></tr><tr><td>20</td><td> Equatorial Guinea</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>2</td><td>5</td><td>−3</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>21</td><td> Burkina Faso</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>5</td><td>−4</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>22</td><td> Benin</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>1</td><td>1</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>−2</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>23</td><td> Namibia</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>5</td><td>−4</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>24</td><td> Botswana</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>6</td><td>−5</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>25</td><td> Guinea-Bissau</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>6</td><td>−6</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>26</td><td> Mozambique</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>8</td><td>−8</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>27</td><td> Angola</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>10</td><td>−9</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>28</td><td> Niger</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>10</td><td>−10</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>29</td><td> Djibouti</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>12</td><td>−12</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>30</td><td> São Tomé and Príncipe</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>18</td><td>−18</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>31</td><td> Gabon</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>6</td><td>−6</td><td>0</td><td>Forfeited the tie</td></tr><tr><td>31</td><td> Mauritius</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>6</td><td>−6</td><td>0</td></tr><tr><td>33</td><td> Togo</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>1</td><td>6</td><td>−5</td><td>0</td><td>First round</td></tr><tr><td>34</td><td> Chad</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>6</td><td>−6</td><td>0</td><td>Forfeited the tie</td></tr><tr><td>34</td><td> Libya</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>0</td><td>2</td><td>0</td><td>6</td><td>−6</td><td>0</td></tr></tbody></table>

Draw pots

The teams were seeded into pots based on geographical distribution, with UNAF, UNIFFAC and WAFU placed in one pot and CECAFA and COSAFA in the other. Ties were drawn between teams from the same pot to minimize travel costs.

Did not enter

The following associations have previously fielded or currently field a women's under-20 team but chose not to participate:

The following associations have never fielded a women's under-20 team and did not participate:

Format

2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

Qualification ties were played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, the penalty shoot-out (no extra time) would be used to determine the winner.

Schedule

2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

Round	Leg	Date
First round	First leg	9–11 May 2025
Second leg	16–18 May 2025
Second round	First leg	19–21 September 2025
Second leg	26–28 September 2025
Third round	First leg	6–8 February 2026
Second leg	12–14 February 2026
Fourth round	First leg	1–3 May 2026
Second leg	8–10 May 2026

Bracket

2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

The four winners of the fourth round would qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

	Second round			Third round			Fourth round
	Niger	0	0	0
	Cameroon	9	9	18
		Cameroon	5	0	5
			Botswana	0	1	1
	Botswana	2	1	3
	Mozambique	0	1	1
		Cameroon
			Tanzania
	Ethiopia	1	0	1
	Kenya	1	4	5
		Kenya	1	0	1 (1)
			Tanzania	0	1	1 (3)
	Tanzania	4	3	7
	Angola	0	0	0

	Second round			Third round			Fourth round
	Tunisia	0	0	0
	Ghana	2	2	4
		Ghana	2	1	3
			South Africa	2	0	2
	Eswatini	0	0	0
	South Africa	5	4	9
		Ghana
			Uganda
	Uganda	3	2	5
	Namibia	0	0	0
		Uganda	1	1	2
			Zambia	1	0	1
	Burundi	1	0	1
	Zambia	2	2	4

	Second round			Third round			Fourth round
	Ivory Coast	3	3	6
	Morocco	1	3	4
		Ivory Coast	2	0	2
			DR Congo	0	1	1
	Mali	1	—
	DR Congo	1	—	w/o
		Ivory Coast
			Benin
	Equatorial Guinea	1	0	1
	Egypt	0	3	3
		Egypt	0	0	0
			Benin	1	4	5
	Benin	5	4	9
	Guinea	1	3	4

	Second round			Third round			Fourth round
	Rwanda	0	0	0
	Nigeria	1	4	5
		Nigeria	1	2	3
			Senegal	0	1	1
	Senegal	2	4	6
	Algeria	0	0	0
		Nigeria
			Malawi
	Guinea-Bissau	—	—	w/o
	Congo	—	—
		Guinea-Bissau	1	1	2
			Malawi	1	5	6
	South Sudan	0	1	1
	Malawi	2	1	3

First round

2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

Team 1	Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Gabon	w/o	Niger	—	—
Togo	1–2	Tunisia	1–1	0–1
Gambia	0–6	Ivory Coast	0–1	0–5
Rwanda	2–1	Zimbabwe	2–1	0–0
South Sudan	13–0	Djibouti	5–0	8–0
Malawi	4–2	Central African Republic	3–1	1–1

Second round

2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

Team 1	Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Niger	0–18	Cameroon	0–9	0–9
Botswana	3–1	Mozambique	2–0	1–1
Ethiopia	1–5	Kenya	1–1	0–4
Tanzania	7–0	Angola	4–0	3–0
Tunisia	0–4	Ghana	0–2	0–2
Eswatini	0–9	South Africa	0–5	0–4
Uganda	5–0	Namibia	3–0	2–0
Burundi	1–4	Zambia	1–2	0–2
Ivory Coast	6–4	Morocco	3–1	3–3
Mali	w/o	DR Congo	1–1	—
Equatorial Guinea	1–3	Egypt	1–0	0–3
Benin	9–4	Guinea	5–1	4–3
Rwanda	0–5	Nigeria	0–1	0–4
Senegal	6–0	Algeria	2–0	4–0
Guinea-Bissau	w/o	Congo	—	—
South Sudan	1–3	Malawi	0–2	1–1

DR Congo won on walkover and advanced to the third round after Mali withdrew prior to the second leg following a 1–1 draw in the first leg.

Guinea-Bissau won on walkover and advanced to the third round after Congo withdrew prior to the first leg without giving any clarification on the reason.

Third round

2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

Team 1	Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Cameroon	5–1	Botswana	5–0	0–1
Kenya	1–1 (1–3 p)	Tanzania	1–0	0–1
Ghana	3–2	South Africa	2–2	1–0
Uganda	2–1	Zambia	1–1	1–0
Ivory Coast	2–1	DR Congo	2–0	0–1
Egypt	0–5	Benin	0–1	0–4
Nigeria	3–1	Senegal	1–0	2–1
Guinea-Bissau	2–6	Malawi	1–1	1–5

Fourth round

2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

Team 1	Agg. Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Cameroon		Tanzania	1–3 May	8–10 May
Ghana		Uganda	1–3 May	8–10 May
Ivory Coast		Benin	1–3 May	8–10 May
Nigeria		Malawi	1–3 May	8–10 May

Qualified teams for FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

The following four teams from CAF will qualify for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland.

<table><thead><tr><th>Team</th><th>Qualified on</th><th>Previous appearances in FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup1</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td>8–10 May 2026</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>8–10 May 2026</td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>8–10 May 2026</td><td>0 (debut)</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>8–10 May 2026</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

1 Bold indicates champions for that year. Italic indicates hosts for that year.

Goalscorers

2026 African U-20 Women's World Cup qualification

There have been 169 goals scored in 55 matches, for an average of 3.07 goals per match (as of 14 February 2026).