UFOA-A U20 Tournament: Senegal drawn in group with three rivals

Senegal will begin the defence of its UFOA-A U20 title in Group B against Mauritania, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau. The draw was held in Mali on Thursday, 1 October, confirming the opponents for the team coached by Malick Daf at the regional tournament scheduled from 15 to 31 October.

The competition will be played in Bamako, with eight national teams divided into two groups of four. Senegal entered the draw as one of the seeded teams after winning the previous edition in Liberia in 2024. Mali, the host nation, was the other seeded team and was placed in Group A.

Senegal’s group brings together four teams with a direct route to the knockout stage. The first phase will determine which two nations from Group B advance to the semi-finals. The Lionceaux therefore have three group fixtures to negotiate before the title holders can reach the stage where the trophy is decided.

Group A contains Mali, Guinea, Liberia and Gambia. Mali’s presence gives the host nation a central role in the competition, while Guinea, Liberia and Gambia complete a section that also offers two semi-final places. The two groups provide the tournament’s initial structure before the decisive knockout matches.

The draw gives Senegal a new campaign under the same coach who led the squad into the competition. The team’s status as defending champion adds a clear objective to the tournament: retain the trophy won in Liberia in 2024. That achievement also places Senegal among the leading teams in the zone before the opening matches in Mali.

The tournament has importance beyond the regional title. It is a qualifier for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Under-20, which will be hosted by Ghana. Senegal’s progress in Bamako will therefore affect both its bid to remain champion of the UFOA-A zone and its attempt to reach the next continental competition at age-group level.

Preparation has already included a planned double-header against the Democratic Republic of Congo. The two friendly matches are scheduled for 1 and 4 October at the Léopold Sédar Senghor Stadium. They offer Daf’s squad its final listed preparation tests before the team turns its attention to the tournament in Mali.

Those matches come immediately before the regional competition, leaving Senegal to complete its preparations while the group opponents also set their plans for Bamako. The draw has settled the group composition, but the exact order of Senegal’s matches has not been announced in the available details. The Lionceaux will open their campaign knowing that Mauritania, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau stand between them and a place in the semi-finals, with the wider reward of a route towards the 2027 continental finals.