Zimbabwe Set to Host 2026 CAF African Schools Football Championship Continental Finals

Zimbabwe is preparing to welcome the continent after CAF confirmed Harare as the host city for the 2026 CAF African Schools Football Championship Continental Finals, which will take place from 2 to 10 April 2026.

The announcement is a major moment for Zimbabwean football and a proud opportunity for the nation to stage one of Africa’s most important youth football events. It also marks the return of a CAF competition to Zimbabwe after more than six years, giving local football supporters, schools and communities a chance to be part of a truly continental occasion.

Since its launch by CAF President Dr Patrice Motsepe in 2021, the CAF African Schools Football Championship has grown into a powerful platform for young talent, education and social transformation. What began as an ambitious vision has developed into Africa’s flagship schools football programme, creating opportunities for boys and girls across the continent to compete, learn and dream bigger through the game.

Now in its fourth edition, the programme has already reached more than three million boys and girls from 82,477 schools across 48 African countries, making it the largest schools football competition in the world. Its impact stretches far beyond results on the pitch. Through the support of the Motsepe Foundation, which made an initial investment of USD 10 million towards prize money, more than USD 2.6 million has already gone towards improving sporting and educational facilities at schools across Africa.

The winning schools in both the boys’ and girls’ competitions will each receive USD 300,000, while runners-up will take home USD 200,000 and the third-placed teams USD 150,000. These funds are reserved for infrastructure development projects at the respective schools, including classrooms, libraries, sports facilities and other important educational amenities.

Following the conclusion of the zonal qualifiers, Harare will host 16 teams made up of zonal champions, host nation Zimbabwe and, in a historic step, invited teams from CAF’s sister confederations. It is an exciting development that keeps the tournament proudly African while also broadening international exposure for young African players.

The participating teams are as follows:

Girls: Zimbabwe, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Guinea, Tanzania, Zambia and DR Congo.

Boys: Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Benin, Morocco, Senegal, Uganda, Zambia and DR Congo.

CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba said the championship continues to represent a strategic investment in the future of African football, combining sporting excellence with education and capacity building under the leadership of Dr Patrice Motsepe.

In addition to the matches, the tournament will also feature a series of CAF-led development workshops, including programmes for young referees, young reporters, young medical officers, coaches and safeguarding practitioners.

Further details on the official draw will be announced by CAF in due course, but for Zimbabwe, the countdown to April 2026 has already begun.

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