After clinching third place in the CECAFA qualifiers, the national U-17 football team of Somalia qualified for the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025, thanks to their victory against South Sudan by a score of 1-0 in the match for third place.The AFCON U-17 tournament shall be held in Morocco from March 30 to April 19, 2025. The draw ceremony for the finals is scheduled to take place today, February 13, 2025, in Cairo, Egypt.This year, the tournament has been expanded to comprise 16 teams. The top 10 teams of the tournament shall qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held from November 5 to 27, 2025, in Qatar.Somalia shall be against Uganda that has qualified through victory as the CECAFA champions and Tanzania finished second.Throughout U-17 AFCON, the opportunity to showcase the ability of Somalia and young Somali players is critical to the development of youth football in the country.