Zimbabwe to Host 2026 CAF African Schools Finals in April

19 March 2026
Ghanaian Times (Accra)

The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has announced that the 2026 edition of the CAF African Schools Football Championship Continental Finals will be hosted in Harare, Zimbabwe, from April 2-10, 2026.

The CAF African Schools Football Championship, now in its fourth year, was initiated by CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, in 2021 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The kick-off event was held in Maputo, Mozambique a few months later.

Now on its fourth edition, more than two million boys and girls have participated in the CAF African Schools Football Championship Programmes. According to CAF, 3 million boys and girls have participated since 2022 - making it the biggest schools football competition globally, with a total of 82,477 schools across Africa involved from 48 countries.

The winners in both boys' and girls' categories receive USD 300,000, runners-up are awarded USD 200,000, and third-place finishers receive USD 150,000.

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The Motsepe Foundation invested an initial USD 10 million to contribute towards prize money, and previous hosts of the finals include Tanzania (2024), Ghana (2025), and South Africa (2023). To date, in excess of USD 2,600,000 has been contributed towards refurbishments of educational and sporting facilities across various African schools.

Following the successful completion of the Zonal Qualifiers, 16 teams - comprising the Zonal champions, the host nation, as well as a historic invitation to teams from CAF's sister Confederations - will compete in a tournament that remains proudly African while strategically exposing young African talent to global football.

Participating countries in this edition include Zimbabwe (Hosts), Ghana (Champions), Burkina Faso, Morocco, Guinea, Tanzania, Zambia, DR Congo for the girls division, while the boys division features Zimbabwe (Hosts), Tanzania (Champions), Benin, Morocco, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia, DR Congo. CAF will soon confirm details of the invitational teams from other Confederations.

CAF General Secretary, Mr Veron Mosengo-Omba, said:

"The CAF African Schools Football Championship programme is a strategic investment in the future of African football. Under the leadership of CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, the programme continues to combine sporting excellence with education and capacity building." - CAFonline.com

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