By: Belinda Nketia
The Confederation of African Football on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, revealed that Zimbabwe will host the 2026 African Schools Football Championship continental finals from April 2–10 in Harare. This will mark the country’s return as a venue for a major CAF event after more than six years.
Qualification for the tournament has been taking place across CAF’s six regional zones, where schools competed in local and zonal competitions to determine representatives for the continental finals. Zonal winners in both the boys’ and girls’ categories advance to the final tournament.
In the girls’ competition, qualified teams include hosts Zimbabwe, defending champions Ghana, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Guinea, Tanzania, Zambia and DR Congo. The boys’ competition will also feature hosts Zimbabwe, defending champions Tanzania, Benin, Morocco, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia and DR Congo.
The tournament also features financial rewards for winning schools tied to development projects, including infrastructure, classrooms, and sports facilities. These incentives are backed in part by the Motsepe Foundation.
Winners in both categories receive $300,000, with $200,000 awarded to runners-up and $150,000 to third-place teams.
Beyond the matches, the championship has also introduced opportunities off the pitch. Significant among these opportunities was the 2025 finals in Ghana, where 30 young reporters were selected for training and tournament coverage, with four later chosen for an international internship in France with Canal+. This initiative is expected to continue for subsequent tournaments.
Since the launch of the CAF African Schools Football Championship in 2021 under CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe, the tournament has developed into a wide-scale grassroots initiative, combining football with education-focused support. Participation has grown steadily, with millions of students and tens of thousands of schools involved across dozens of African countries.
The championship is an under-15 competition for boys and girls aimed at developing talent at the grassroots level while supporting education through sport.
