Category: Football Africa

Mali ready for Zambia as Egypt battles Switzerland in U17 knockout
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Mali ready for Zambia as Egypt battles Switzerland in U17 knockout

On Friday, the knockout stages of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025™ are about to commence, transitioning the competition from 32 teams down to 16 over two thrilling days of matches.

Zambia vs. Mali – Kick-off times – 15:30 in Doha, 14:30 in Lusaka, 12:30 in Bamako  

The second round kicks off with a match between two African teams. Zambia has made a remarkable debut in the finals, remaining unbeaten in their group and managing a draw against Brazil. Mali secured six points in the group stage while achieving two clean sheets.

Switzerland vs. Egypt – Kick-off times – 16:00 in Doha, 14:00 in Bern, 15:00 in Cairo  

Switzerland is aiming to maintain their impressive unbeaten streak at these finals, which has lasted for 16 years. They will need to overcome an Egypt team that proved difficult to penetrate during the group stage if they want to extend their record to 11 matches.

USA vs. Morocco – Kick-off times – 18:45 in Doha, 10:45 in Washington D.C., 07:45 in Los Angeles, 16:45 in Rabat  

The USA had a perfect group stage, and with Cavan Sullivan, they have one of the standout talents of Qatar 2025. Morocco, astonishingly, started their final group match without a goal or a point, but scored 16 against New Caledonia, breaking records and advancing to this stage.

World Cup playoffs - Nigeria face Gabon as Cameroon take on DR Congo
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon and DRC vie for World Cup Play-offs final spot

Four teams are competing for a spot in the FIFA World Cup finals, with a total of 15 past appearances. By the end of this week's African Play-Offs, only one will advance.

Cameroon has participated in the World Cup eight times, which is a record for Africa. They last played in Qatar in 2022 and reached the quarter-finals in 1990.

Nigeria has played in six finals, most recently in Russia in 2018. The Democratic Republic of Congo was a finalist in 1974, when it was still called Zaire, while Gabon has never qualified before.

This week, all four teams have a fair chance in a knockout tournament where losing means elimination. Nigeria will face Gabon in Rabat on Thursday, and later that evening, Cameroon will play DR Congo.

The winners of the upcoming matches in Rabat on Sunday will advance to the World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament, where they will compete against seeded teams for two spots in the FIFA World Cup.

The African Play-Off winners will join Bolivia and New Caledonia, along with teams from Asia and Concacaf, in this tournament set for March 23 to 31, 2026.

Nigeria, the highest-ranked team in Morocco, secured their place after a recent 4-0 win against Benin, having struggled earlier in the qualifiers.

Gabon finished their group with 25 points, just behind Côte d’Ivoire, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang key to their attack. DR Congo and Cameroon, who last met in a 1-1 friendly in 2015, are also competing, with DR Congo two points behind Senegal in their group.

Egypt progress despite defeat to England defeat in U17 World Cup
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Egypt progress despite defeat to England defeat in U17 World Cup

England's U17 squad delivered an impressive performance, defeating Egypt 3-0 on Monday in Doha, securing second place in Group D and advancing to the round of 32 at the FIFA U17 World Cup Qatar 2025

Despite the defeat, Egypt also progressed as one of the top eight third-placed teams, finishing the group stage with four points from three matches.

The victory for England was fueled by Manchester City forward Reigan Heskey, who netted two goals and once again showcased why he is considered one of the standout talents in the tournament.

Reigan, the son of former England striker Emile Heskey, opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a powerful right-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area.

He increased the lead early in the second half (54) after breaking free on a counterattack and calmly finishing under Egypt’s goalkeeper Omar Abdelaziz.

However, Abdelaziz shone in the 64th minute by saving Heskey’s penalty, preventing the English player from achieving a hat-trick. Nevertheless, England confirmed their victory in the 89th minute when Harrison Miles struck home the third goal to complete a dominant performance.

2025 FIFA U17 World Cup – African teams that have qualified for the Round of 32

– Zambia 🇿🇲

– Senegal 🇸🇳

– South Africa 🇿🇦

– Morocco 🇲🇦

– Egypt 🇪🇬

– Tunisia 🇹🇳

Eliminated

– Ivory Coast 🇨🇮

CAF AND PUMA unveil AFCON 2025 official Match Ball 'ITRI'
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

CAF and PUMA unveil AFCON 2025 official Match Ball ‘ITRI’

The official ball for the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 showcases traditional Moroccan zellij geometric designs.

The ball’s creation merges age-old artistry with advanced PUMA Orbita 6 technology. It is set to debut at the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025, which begins on December 21, 2025.

The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), alongside prominent sports brand PUMA, has introduced the Official Match Ball for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025.

Named ITRI, the ball is inspired by Morocco’s long-standing zellij art form, famous for its detailed geometric mosaics, while representing the unity and enthusiasm of African football throughout the continent.

The name also honours the star present on the Moroccan flag and corresponds to the star patterns that hold importance in traditional zellij art.

PUMA commemorated the official launch by unveiling a video featuring the ITRI ball, marking a significant moment ahead of the tournament.

The ITRI ball will be featured in the opening match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.

Burkina Faso's U17 coach Oscar Barro praised his team's "brave" performance
by Alie Bittar @bittar32

Burkina Faso’s U17 coach Oscar Barro praised his team’s “brave” performance

Burkina Faso's U-17 football team won their first match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025 by beating Czechia 2-1 on Saturday, November 8, at Aspire Zone, Doha. Coach Oscar Barro praised his team's "brave" performance.

After losing their first match to the USA, Burkina Faso bounced back with this victory. In their previous game, they had played well for 78 minutes but lost due to a late goal by Cavan Sullivan.

Barro expressed his frustration after that game, but focused on correcting mistakes for the match against Czechia. “We dropped off defensively in the last 20 minutes and paid the price,” he explained. “Today, we held out for 94 minutes. We have to congratulate the lads. They were very brave.”

The defense required a strong team effort. Fadil Barro had a solid game against the USA, but Issouf Dabo shone against Czechia. The 16-year-old defender read the game well and excelled in the air, while Mikael Coulibaly supported him effectively by stopping dangerous plays down the right wing.

Czechia had just scored six goals against Tajikistan in their previous match, with Vit Skrkon scoring a quick hat-trick. He was the only player to score against Burkina Faso in this game, earning praise from Barro. “We played against a good Czech side who possess the ball well, are aggressive, and have a very dangerous center forward,” Barro said of Skrkon, who has four goals in the tournament so far.

Burkina Faso’s goalkeeper, Rahim Ouattara, played a crucial role with several important saves. He denied Skrkon in the 16th minute and made four key stops during the match. He was aided by the crossbar once when Filip Hruska’s powerful shot hit the woodwork.

Burkina Faso will face Tajikistan in their final group match next Tuesday. “We’re united and we’re going to try to perform better in the next match,” said Mohamed Zongo. “We have to treat the next game like a final — with focus and composure,” Barro concluded.