Guinea-Bissau’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations U17 have suffered a major blow after the country’s U17 team was disqualified from the UFOA A qualifying tournament in Senegal following mandatory MRI tests to verify the eligibility of players.
The organising committee announced the decision on Monday, September 7, at the start of the regional tournament, immediately removing Guinea-Bissau from a competition that serves as the qualifying route for the U17 Africa Cup of Nations.
The decision has also forced a change to the composition of Group B, which was initially made up of four teams.
With Guinea-Bissau out, the group is now reduced to Mali, Liberia and Guinea, leaving the three remaining sides to battle for progression.
The disqualification followed the results of MRI examinations carried out as part of the age-eligibility process for the tournament.
According to information reported by the Guinean Football Federation’s media officer and other regional sources, more than four Guinea-Bissau players were affected by the tests, with one report putting the number of ineligible players at 10.
The tournament regulations reportedly stipulate that a team is disqualified when at least four players are found ineligible through the MRI process.
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Guinea had been scheduled to face Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, but that fixture will no longer take place. Instead, the Syli Cadet will begin their campaign against Liberia on September 11 after the unexpected change to the Group B schedule.
For Guinea-Bissau, however, the development represents a serious setback in a tournament where only the strongest teams from the regional qualifying competition can advance towards the continental stage.
The episode also underlines the increasingly strict age-verification measures being applied to African youth competitions.
MRI testing has become an important part of CAF and regional youth tournaments as organisers attempt to ensure that players meet the age requirements for competitions designed specifically for developing footballers.
The latest Guinea-Bissau case is not, however, the same as the 2024 incident cited in some reports.
At the 2024 UFOA A U17 tournament, which was also staged in Senegal, it was Guinea, rather than Guinea-Bissau, that was disqualified following MRI tests. Guinea-Bissau were actually part of Group B alongside Mali, Sierra Leone and Mauritania during that edition.
That distinction means the latest decision should not be described as Guinea-Bissau’s second disqualification from the competition in two years.
What is beyond dispute is the immediate impact of the 2026 ruling. A four-team group has become a three-team contest before the competition has properly settled, while Guinea-Bissau have been removed from the qualifying race altogether.
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Meanwhile, for Guinea-Bissau, the focus will turn to the implications of another youth-football eligibility controversy and what it means for the country’s efforts to develop a generation capable of progressing to the senior national team.
