UFOA-B U17 Girls: Benin withdraws from tournament in Côte d’Ivoire
Initially placed with Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso, Benin will ultimately not participate in the 2026 edition. Its withdrawal shifts the competition to a single group of six teams.
Benin will not participate in the UFOA-B U17 Girls Cup 2026 in Côte d’Ivoire. The withdrawal of the Amazons, confirmed by the Togolese and Ghanaian federations, has forced the organizers to abandon the initial two-group format in favor of a single six-team championship.
Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Togo remain committed to the tournament. Each team will face the other five once, resulting in five matches per team and a total of fifteen matches throughout the tournament.
This withdrawal alters the scenario established during the draw on September 3. At that time, Benin was placed in Group A alongside Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, while Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, and Niger made up Group B.
The official UFOA-B schedule places the competition in Côte d’Ivoire from September 15 to 27, 2026. Matches in the new format are set to take place at the Stade Charles-Konan-Banny and the Lycée scientifique de Yamoussoukro.
According to the format communicated by the Togolese Football Federation, a victory earns three points and a draw one point. In the event of a tie, goal difference, followed by the number of goals scored and head-to-head results, will serve as tiebreakers; the team with the most points after five matchdays will be crowned champion.
Comments