Morocco to stage 2027 Africa Under-17 Cup of Nations as CAF confirms youth hosts

Morocco will host the 2027 Africa Under-17 Cup of Nations, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) also confirming Ghana and Egypt as hosts of two other major youth tournaments.

The decisions were made by the CAF Executive Committee, which allocated several upcoming youth competitions across the continent.

Ghana will stage the 2027 Africa Under-20 Cup of Nations, while Egypt has been awarded the next Africa Under-23 Cup of Nations. The Under-23 tournament will also act as the qualifying competition for the 2028 Olympic Games.

Morocco’s selection is notable because it comes after Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Federation Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF), said in June that the country would no longer put itself forward to host African competitions.

“From today, Morocco will no longer submit any bids to host African competitions, whatever their nature. If other countries wish to organise them, that is up to them,” Lekjaa said at the time.

His comments followed several years in which Morocco had regularly provided the CAF with an alternative venue when other hosting arrangements were unavailable or became difficult to deliver.

Lekjaa had also explained Morocco’s decision to stage the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations by pointing to the lack of another sufficiently strong option.

“We will organise the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations because no other country wanted it. We agreed to host it because everything is ready, and we will not lose anything by doing so,” he said.

The decision to award Morocco the 2027 Under-17 tournament suggests that the withdrawal announced by Lekjaa may have been aimed primarily at major senior competitions. It may also indicate that Morocco remains willing to accept certain tournaments when approached directly by the CAF.

Morocco continues to offer the governing body a clear practical advantage, with modern facilities that are available and have already been tested during several international competitions.

In recent years, the country has become one of the CAF’s preferred destinations for staging continental events. Its stadiums, training centres, hotels and transport infrastructure allow the organisation to reduce many of the operational risks associated with hosting tournaments.

The country has also become an established venue for competitions when alternative hosts are not considered sufficiently prepared. That role has made Morocco an important part of the CAF’s planning for major events.

Although the kingdom has indicated that it wants to take a step back from hosting responsibilities, its infrastructure and readiness continue to make it difficult for the CAF to overlook.

The award of the 2027 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations therefore reinforces Morocco’s position as one of the governing body’s most dependable options whenever it needs a host that can deliver a tournament at short notice.

The latest allocation means Morocco, Ghana and Egypt will each take responsibility for an important stage of the development pathway for African players, with the Under-23 event in Egypt carrying the additional significance of Olympic qualification for 2028.