Three African Teams Take on the Round of 16 in Search of a Quarter-final Spot

The Round of 16 at the 2017 U-17 World Cup in India will be a one-time chance for three African countries looking to progress to the quarter-finals. Mali takes on Iraq in a later game today, while Ghana and Niger will go head-to-head in an all-African clash on Wednesday, with only one team set to qualify.

Mali finished on a stronger note, qualifying in the second position with six points behind a strong Paraguay in Group B and are favorites over matched-up opponents Iraq who also finished second after only salvaging four points behind Group F leaders, England.

The Malians were the first to book a semi-final spot after an assured 3-1 win over New Zealand to finish second behind unbeaten Paraguay who also beat Turkey 3-1 to re-affirm their status as title contenders.

Unfortunately for Ghana and Niger, only one African country is bound to progress and Ghana who finished impressively on top of Group A with six points, have the bigger advantage over Niger, who struggled to finish behind Brazil and Spain in Group D, respectively, with three points.

Ghana thrashed hosts India 4-0 in New Delhi to jump from 3rd to 1st in Group A on goal difference after all the three top nations tied on six points.

Featured Photo: FIFA