Bantwana Advance In U-17 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers After CAR Withdrawal
South Africa’s Bantwana advance after Central African Republic withdraw from U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
South Africa women’s national under-17 football team have received a bye in the opening round of the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after the Central African Republic women’s national under-17 football team withdrew from the competition.
The Central African Football Federation informed the South African Football Association (SAFA) of their decision through an official letter, which was also copied to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
According to the correspondence seen by Sportswire, no reason was provided for the Central African Republic’s withdrawal. The decision means Bantwana will no longer need to play the scheduled two-legged first-round tie.
As a result, South Africa will automatically progress to the second round of the CAF qualifying campaign, reducing both the travel demands and costs associated with the fixtures.
The upcoming 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be hosted by Morocco between October and November 2026.
2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup slot allocation
A total of 24 teams will compete in the tournament, with qualification places distributed across the six continental confederations as follows:
- AFC (Asia): 4 slots
- CAF (Africa): 5 slots, including hosts Morocco
- CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean): 4 slots
- CONMEBOL (South America): 4 slots
- OFC (Oceania): 2 slots
- UEFA (Europe): 5 slots
Alongside hosts Morocco, the remaining 23 teams will qualify through their respective continental competitions.
The defending champions are North Korea women’s national under-17 football team, who lifted a record fourth title at the previous tournament in 2025.
