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Tanzania scored in the seventh minute. Hamis Chenga, recovering a loose ball at the edge of the box after a high press forced a defensive error, took one touch and drove it past Senegal goalkeeper Assane Sarr. The Moulay El Hassan Stadium, which had hosted the senior AFCON dispute between the same two nations five months earlier in a different register entirely, erupted for a different reason. The Serengeti Boys had led at a continental final for the first time in their history.
They held that lead for 57 minutes. Senegal had 52% possession, created 17 shots to Tanzania's six across the full match, and could not find a way through a defensive block that Tanzania's coach Elieneza Nsanganzelu had organised with the precision of a team that had been defending leads in this competition since the quarter-finals. Then, in the 64th minute, Tanzania goalkeeper Haji Abdullahi failed to hold a free kick from Souleymane Commissaire Faye. The ball fell to Ibrahima Dione, a substitute who had been on the pitch for nine minutes. He turned it in from close range. One all. The final would be decided by penalties.
In the shootout, Senegal converted four of four. Faye, Sadio, Dione and Thior all scored. Tanzania converted through Usuph and Mbegelendi but saw Kilendemo and Mbegu miss. The final result was 4-2 on penalties. Senegal are U-17 AFCON champions for the second time, having previously won in 2023. Tanzania return home without the trophy but with their first continental final appearance and their qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar secured.
The Awards That Tell the Story
The individual awards from the tournament captured the specific tension of the final. Tanzania's Issa Chole won Player of the Tournament. His teammate Athanas Dismas claimed the Golden Boot as the tournament's leading scorer with three goals. Senegal goalkeeper Assane Sarr, who was decisive in the semi-final shootout against Morocco and solid throughout, received the Golden Glove. Tanzania were recognised as the Fair Play team of the tournament.
The Player of the Tournament going to a player from the losing finalists is unusual and telling. It reflects a tournament in which Tanzania outperformed everything expected of them across six matches: beating Mozambique and Angola by 3-0, surviving a 3-3 draw with Algeria on penalties in the quarter-finals, holding Egypt goalless in the semi-final before winning on penalties again, and then leading Senegal for 57 minutes in the final. The trophy went to Senegal. The tournament, in many ways, belonged to Tanzania.
What Both Results Mean
Senegal's second U-17 AFCON title adds to an extraordinary week for their football at multiple levels. The senior squad is preparing for the World Cup in North America with the CAS appeal over the senior AFCON dispute still live. The U-17 side has now won the continental title twice in three years. As Sport News Africa noted in their match coverage, Senegal continue to confirm their position as the dominant force in African youth football at this level, with the consistency of their development system producing competitive squads across successive generations.
Tanzania leave Morocco with something more significant than the runner-up medal. Their run to the final, the quality of their performances, and the individual awards their players collected confirm that East African football is developing in ways the broader continental picture has not always acknowledged. They also leave as FIFA U-17 World Cup qualifiers. Coach Nsanganzelu said after the semi-final win over Egypt that reaching the final was as significant as anything else the tournament offered. The final itself proved he was right to frame it that way. They came closer than anyone expected. They will be watched more carefully from now on.
