Kenya among hosts of CAF Pan-African Schools' Zonal Qualifiers

Nairobi will be the hosts of the second edition of the CAF African Schools Football Championship Zonal Qualifiers set to take place on 14-17 December 2023.

In a schedule released by CAF on Thursday 16 November, Kenya will have the privilege of hosting the Zonal Phase - CECAFA region - where schools across East Africa will vie for a place in the continental finals to take place in April 2024.

Fountain Gate Dodoma Secondary School (girls) and Uganda’s Royal Giant High School (boys) last year represented the CECAFA region in the finals after emerging triumphant in the zonal qualifiers held in Tanzania in February 2023.

As in the previous edition, the competition is structured into three phases, which is National, Zonal and Continental, and affords school-going boys and girls a unique opportunity of being exposed to international football.

Winners of the zonal region will pocket 100,000 USD (Ksh. 15,240,000) with the overall champions from the continental stage earning 300,000 USD (Ksh. 45,720,000)

Tanzania's Fountain Gate and CS Ben Sekou Sylla crowned CAF African School Football champions

With the 2023-24 season officially underway at national phase across the continent - CAF, working closely with its Zonal Unions is preparing to stage the Zonal Phase of the competition with Togo set to kick things off with the WAFU B edition between 20 – 26 November.

That will be followed by the UNIFFAC and COSAFA regions in Sao Tome and Zimbabwe followed by CECAFA.

UNAF and WAFU A zonal phases in Egypt and Guinea follow thereafter on 18-20 and 19-21 December respectively.

Over 28,862 schools across 44 countries were engaged during the inaugural edition which saw more than 800,000 boys and girls participate.

Ultimately, it was the aforementioned Fountain Gate Dodoma Secondary School (girls) and Guinea’s CS Ben Sekou Sylla of Guinea (boys) who were crowned Continental champions in last season’s finals staged in Durban, South Africa.