Ghana's national U-17 team, the Black Starlets have been placed in in Group A of next year's African Youth Championship alongside hosts Madagascar, Guinea and Cameroon.
The Starlets - two-time African champions - in 1995 and 1999 will have to hurdle the hosts Madagascar, 2003 champions Cameroon and two-time bronze medal winners (1995, 2015) Guinea to emerge from the group.
The teams were seeded based on their performances in the last edition at which Ghana was absent.
Group B will see defending champions Mali face-of with Congo, Angola and Niger.
The draw for the final tournament of the Total U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Madagascar 2017 was held on Monday at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
CAF Secretary General, Hicham El Amrani conducted the draw and was assisted by CAF 1st Vice president Almamy Kabele Camara.
The final tournament will take place between April 2-16 with the semi-finalists qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup next year in India.
Reactions
Kweku Eyiah (Executive Committee member, Ghana Football Association)
I think the draw is manageable. There are two other teams, Guinea and Cameroon, with a similar style of play like Ghana. The only country that does not play the same style is Madagascar, the host. When it comes to such competitions, Ghana always stands tall and so qualifying from that group won’t be a problem.
Below are the results of the draw;
Group A – Madagascar, Guinea, Cameroon, Ghana
Group B – Mali, Congo, Angola, Niger