Five African nations will represent the continent at the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, which runs from October 17 to November 7.
Hosts Morocco will be joined by Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Zambia at the 10th edition of the competition, featuring 24 teams. Nigeria and Ghana have both finished third in previous editions, while Zambia reached the round of 16 in 2025. Kenya will make their second appearance, while Morocco return after reaching the knockout stage last year.
The tournament will be staged in Rabat, with matches up to the semi-finals scheduled for the Women’s Football Complex, while the bronze-medal match and final will take place at Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium.
Morocco: Can the hosts make home advantage count?
Morocco will make their second consecutive appearance at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after reaching the round of 16 in 2025. The Atlas Lionesses will hope to improve on that performance in front of their home supporters.
Defender Hiba Youssoufi will be one to watch. The AS FAR right-back returns for her second consecutive tournament, bringing valuable experience to coach Youness Rabie’s squad.
Morocco are in Group A alongside New Zealand, Germany and Argentina. They open against New Zealand on October 17, face Germany on October 20 and conclude against Argentina on October 23.
Nigeria: Can the Flamingos go beyond the semi-finals?
Nigeria will make their ninth appearance at the tournament, having missed only the 2018 edition. Their best finish came in 2022, when they claimed bronze after defeating Germany on penalties. The Flamingos qualified for Morocco 2026 with an 8-5 aggregate victory over Benin Republic.
Captain Harmony Chidi returns after scoring at the 2024 edition. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi is another player to watch after scoring four goals at the WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup, where she was named the tournament’s best player.
Coach Akeem Busari’s side are in Group B with Poland, Puerto Rico and DPR Korea. They face Poland on October 17, Puerto Rico on October 20 and DPR Korea on October 23.
Ghana: Can the Black Maidens revisit their 2012 success?
Ghana return to the tournament after missing the 2022, 2024 and 2025 editions. Their best performance came in 2012, when they finished third after beating Germany 1-0 in the bronze-medal match. They qualified for Morocco 2026 by defeating Senegal on penalties after a 2-2 aggregate draw.
Captain Seidatu Wahab will be one to watch after scoring in all three rounds of qualifying, including Ghana’s goal in the second leg against Senegal.
Coach Joe Nana Adarkwa’s team are in Group C with Norway, Brazil and Canada. They face Norway on October 18, Brazil on October 21 and Canada on October 24.
Kenya: Looking to make their mark
Kenya will make their second appearance after securing qualification with a 5-1 aggregate victory over South Africa in the final round.
Forward Brenda Achieng is one to watch after scoring four goals in qualifying, including a hat-trick against Namibia. She also scored 13 goals in five matches at the CECAFA U-17 Women’s Championship, where Kenya finished third.
Coach Mildred Cheche’s side are in Group E with China PR, the United States and Samoa. They face China PR on October 19, the United States on October 22 and Samoa on October 25.
Zambia: Building on their 2025 progress
Zambia will make their fourth appearance and third consecutive appearance at the tournament after defeating Ethiopia in the final qualifying round. The Copper Princesses reached the round of 16 in 2025, their best performance to date.
Faith Kaunda will be one to watch after featuring in all four of Zambia’s matches last year as a 14-year-old. The versatile player has featured on the wing and at left-back for coach Carol Kanyemba’s side.
Zambia are in Group D with Japan, France and Venezuela. They face Japan on October 18, Venezuela on October 21 and France on October 24.
Tournament history
Since the competition began in 2008, five nations have won the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. DPR Korea lead with four titles, followed by Spain with two, while Korea Republic, France and Japan have won once each. DPR Korea, champions in 2024 and 2025, will target a third consecutive title in Morocco.
The tournament expanded from 16 to 24 teams in 2025 and is now held annually, with Morocco hosting five consecutive editions from 2025 to 2029.
