# 1997 African Youth Championship

The African Youth Championship 1997 was held in Morocco. It also served as qualification for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.

## Qualification
### First round

First round matches took place on 28-29 September and 19-20 October 1996. Togo and Malawi withdrew and Burundi was suspended by CAF following a coup d'état.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Algeria | 0-2 | Tunisia |
| Mali | 3-0 | Mauritania |
| Burkina Faso | 0-0 | Guinea |
| Ghana | 2-0 | Senegal |
| Nigeria | 5-1 | Chad |
| Sudan | 2-0 | Kenya |
| Benin | 0-1 | Ivory Coast |
| Egypt | 5-0 | Ethiopia |
| Réunion | 0-2 | Zimbabwe |
| South Africa | 2-0 | Mauritius |
| Angola | 3-1 | Botswana |
| Tanzania | w/o | Burundi |
| Cameroon | w/o | Togo |
| Zambia | w/o | Malawi |
| Tunisia | 1-3 (3-3 agg.) | Algeria |
| Guinea | 1-1 (1-1 agg.) | Burkina Faso |
| Senegal | 2-3 (2-5 agg.) | Ghana |
| Chad | 2-1 (3-6 agg.) | Nigeria |
| Kenya | 1-0 (1-2 agg.) | Sudan |
| Ethiopia | 5-0 (5-5 agg., 1-2 p) | Egypt |
| Zimbabwe | 5-0 (7-0 agg.) | Réunion |
| Mauritius | 1-3 (1-5 agg.) | South Africa |
| Botswana | 1-2 (2-5 agg.) | Angola |

### Second round

Round two matches took place on 21-22 December 1996 and 3-5 January 1997.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Mali | 3-2 | Algeria |
| Nigeria | 2-1 | Sudan |
| Ivory Coast | 5-3 | Cameroon |
| Burkina Faso | 1-1 | Ghana |
| Egypt | 2-1 | Zimbabwe |
| South Africa | 3-0 | Tanzania |
| Zambia | 1-0 | Angola |
| Algeria | | Mali |
| Sudan | | Nigeria |
| Cameroon | | Ivory Coast |
| Ghana | | Burkina Faso |
| Zimbabwe | | Egypt |
| Tanzania | 0-1 (0-4 agg.) | South Africa |
| Angola | 0-1 (0-2 agg.) | Zambia |

## Teams

Last year's finalists Burundi were disqualified in the qualifying tournament. Eight teams entered the tournament:
* Ivory Coast
* Egypt
* Ghana
* Mali
* Morocco (host)
* South Africa
* Sudan
* Zambia

## Group stage
### Group A

Group A matches took place on 23, 25 and 27 March 1997.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Morocco | 0-0 | Egypt |
| Sudan | 0-4 | Ghana |
| Egypt | 0-1 | Ghana |
| Morocco | 2-0 | Sudan |
| Egypt | 2-1 | Sudan |
| Morocco | 0-1 | Ghana |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Ghana | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Morocco (H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Egypt | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Sudan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 0 | |

### Group B

Group B matches took place on 24, 26 and 28 March 1997.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
| Mali | 2-2 | Zambia |
| South Africa | 0-1 | Ivory Coast |
| Zambia | 1-1 | Ivory Coast |
| Mali | 1-2 | South Africa |
| South Africa | 2-1 | Zambia |
| Ivory Coast | 4-1 | Mali |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Ivory Coast | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | South Africa | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Zambia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | Mali | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 1 | |

## Knockout stage
### Final

* 1997 African Youth Championship
* Morocco First title

## Qualification to World Youth Championship

The four best performing teams qualified for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship.
* Ivory Coast
* Ghana
* Morocco
* South Africa