U-17 World Cup: Zambia, Uganda, Senegal, Mali, know Round of 32 opponents

Nine African nations have known their Round of 32 opponents at the U-17 FIFA World Cup following their success to qualify from the group stages.

Zambia, Mali, Egypt, Morocco, Senegal, Uganda, South Africa, Burkina Faso, and Tunisia, all punched their tickets to the next stage. The teams were ranked according to their performance in the group phase, with the match-ups determined based on this ranking.

Who will African sides face in the Round of 32?

Zambia will open stage on Friday when they face fellow African side Mali. The match will see two of Africa’s finest youth sides face off for a place in the Round of 16, setting up an all-African showdown at the Aspire Zone in Doha.

The Young Chipolopolo qualified as Group H runners-up, finishing the group stage unbeaten with seven points from three matches, victories over Indonesia (3-1) and Honduras (5-2), followed by a spirited 1-1 draw with Brazil.

Mali, meanwhile, finished second in Group L, where they showed both power and resilience. The West Africans recorded wins over New Zealand (3-0) and Saudi Arabia (2-0), but suffered a 3-0 loss to Austria in their second match.

That form saw Mali collect six points, scoring five goals and conceding three, with key men Bomba, Dembélé, Ballo and Diakité all on the scoresheet during the group phase.

The tie will bring together two nations rich in youth football pedigree. Mali, a former U-17 World Cup finalist, are known for their physical strength and tactical discipline, while Zambia have captured global attention with their fluid play and fearless mentality.

The victor between Zambia and Mali will advance to face either Morocco or the United States in the Round of 16, a fixture that promises to further test Africa’s dominance at this year’s tournament.

The second African nation will be Egypt, who will take on Switzerland, while Morocco will confront USA.

On Sturday, Uganda will face Senegal in another all-African contest, before South Africa’s Amajimbos battle Japan. Burkina Faso will face giants Germany, and Tunisia tackle Austria.

Friday, 14 November

Zambia v Mali, 15.30, Pitch 8 (Mahmoud Soufi)

Portugal v Belgium, 15:30, Pitch 3 (Bader Bilal)

Switzerland v Egypt, 16:00, Pitch 5 (Khaled Ballan)

France v Colombia, 16:30, Pitch 1 (Mohammed Ghanim)

Argentina v Mexico, 17:45, Pitch 2 (Ibrahim Khalfan)

Republic of Ireland v Canada, 18:15, Pitch 4 (Khaled Salman)

Brazil v Paraguay, 18:45, Pitch 9 (Adel Mallala)

USA v Morocco, 18:45, Pitch 7 (Mansour Muftah)

Saturday, 15 November

Senegal v Uganda, 15:30, Pitch 7 (Mansour Muftah)

Korea Republic v England, 15:30, Pitch 8 (Mahmoud Soufi)

Italy v Czechia, 16:00, Pitch 1 (Mohammed Ghanim)

Japan v South Africa, 16:30, Pitch 3 (Bader Bilal)

Germany v Burkina Faso, 17:45, Pitch 2 (Ibrahim Khalfan)

Venezuela v Korea DPR, 18:15, Pitch 4 (Khaled Salman)

Croatia v Uzbekistan, 18:45, Pitch 9 (Adel Mallala)

Austria v Tunisia, 18:45, Pitch 5 (Khaled Ballan)

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