THE Tanzania U-17 men’s national team, Serengeti Boys, are out to secure their spot in the finals of the CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations CECAFA Zone Qualifiers when they meet South Sudan in the semi-final this afternoon.

It is a re-match of last year's semi-final when South Sudan triumphed in Ethiopia to deny Tanzania a fourth AFCON U-17 finals appearance.

Serengeti Boys sealed their place in the semifinals after a 1-0 victory over Kenya in their Group A clash in Kampala on Wednesday last week.

Serengeti Boys came out on top after a lone first-half strike from Juma Sagwe Mwita handed them three points to finish second behind Uganda Cubs in the group.

The team, coached by Aggrey Morris, went into the match with a disadvantage after they were forced to a 1-1 draw by hosts Uganda in the group opener.

On the other hand, South Sudan saw off Sudan 1-0 in a Group B tie played at the Nakivubo Hamz Stadium to finish top of Group B with six points.

The first semi-final clash will see defending champions Somali take on hosts Uganda before Serengeti Boys and South Sudan face off at 4:30pm at the same venue.

The final and play-off will be played on Friday. The winners and runners-up will qualify to represent the region in the U-17 AFCON 2024 finals in Morocco.

Having reached the U-17 AFCON finals in four of the five recent editions, Serengeti Boys will be banking on their defence to make an immediate return to AFCON. 

Coach Morris is aware anything less will be regarded as an under achievement.

Tanzania qualified for the continental finals in 2017 in Gabon, 2019 as hosts in Dar and 2021 in in Morocco which unfortunately were cancelled at the last minute due to the Covid pandemic.

The 15th edition of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations is slated for Sunday March 30 to Saturday April 19, 2025 in Morocco where the semi-finalists will earn a place in the prestigious FIFA Under-17 World Cup finals.