Tanzania Reach First CAF U-17 Final but Lose on Penalties; 14-year-old Dismas Shida Athanasi Wins Golden Boot

Dismas Shida Athanasi was named the Golden Boot winner at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2026, after finishing as the tournament's leading scorer with three goals. AllAfrica reported that the 14-year-old forward was also the youngest player at the competition and played a central role in Tanzania's run to its first-ever CAF youth final.

Athanasi scored once against Mozambique in the group stage and twice in the quarter-final against Algeria in a 3-3 draw that Tanzania won on penalties.

Tanzania then defeated Egypt in a semi-final shootout before losing the final 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Senegal on Tuesday in Rabat. Ramadhani Mbegelendi finished with two goals and two assists. Ibrahim Arafat, Souleymane Faye, Eric Gyamfi, and Zeyad Saoudi each finished with two goals.

Tanzania's campaign secured qualification for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Athanasi, who plays as a forward for Tanzania, said during the tournament that his focus remained on helping the team.