The UNAF qualifying tournament for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations U17 has been postponed from September to November and expanded to include Morocco.
The competition will now take place in Tunisia from 9 to 17 November, with matches scheduled in Monastir and Sousse. Five North African teams will take part, rather than the four originally announced.
The initial programme, published by the Algerian Football Federation, had set the tournament for 26 September to 2 October. Algeria were due to open against Libya before meeting Tunisia and Egypt.
The draw had already been completed and preparation was under way under coach Karim Ziani, who was appointed to lead the generation targeting qualification for the 2027 finals.
The revised schedule means every team will play four matches, with one rest day. Algeria must therefore extend their preparations by several weeks and face an additional opponent in the qualifying race.
The new draw has also produced an early meeting between Algeria and Morocco, with the two neighbours set to begin their campaigns against each other. Ziani’s side will then play Egypt, Tunisia and Libya.
The teams previously met at U16 level earlier this year, drawing 1-1 in a UNAF tournament.
Morocco’s inclusion adds significance to the five-team competition, although it does not in itself alter the current position regarding the finals. The CAF continues to state that Morocco will host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations U17.
For Ziani, the delay brings both a disruption and an opportunity. His players are currently competing in the U16 category before moving towards the U17 tournament, but they will no longer play their first competitive fixture at the end of September as originally planned.
The coaching staff must now adjust the training programme to keep the squad in competitive condition until November, while preserving the work built around the original timetable.
The preparation had already faced some uncertainty after Elies Diallo chose to join the France U16 squad instead of representing Algeria at the tournament.
A further clarification is still awaited on the precise sporting consequences of Morocco’s participation, given that the country has already been designated as host of the finals, and how that will affect the allocation of qualifying places for the UNAF region.
For Algeria, however, the immediate change is straightforward. Their route towards the Africa Cup of Nations U17 now includes four opponents instead of three, beginning with the most closely watched fixture of the tournament.