The finalists of the 8th Africa U-17 Championship to be hosted in Algeria next year were confirmed over the weekend. Malawi and Niger are among the surprise packages that book a place in the biennial championships after shocking wins last Saturday in the second leg matches of the final round.

The two countries, considered minnows in cadet football pulled up outstanding performances to edge past their respective opponents for a place at next
year's championship. Malawi routed their Namibian counterparts 7-1 whilst the Young Mena of Niger stunned Ivory Coast by a lone goal as both went through 8-3 and 2-2 on aggregate respectively.

The Gambia Baby Scorpions ended the hat-trick dreams of Ghana's Black Starlets with a 2-0 win to edge through 3-3 on away goal rule.
The victory was a perfect revenge for the Baby Scorpions, whose seniors, (Under 20 team) were beaten by their Ghanaian counterparts for the African Youth Championship spot.

The Indomitable Cubs of Cameroon completed a double over Eritrea with a 3-0 win at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé. A brace from Gael Etock and the other by Aboubakar Vincent pummeled the 2003 champions on a 5-0 aggregate.

In other matches, Rwanda were held one-all by Burkina Faso with the latter going through 3-2 on aggregate, while Zimbabwe completed a double over Angola with a lone goal victory to edge through 4-2 on aggregate. Benin beat Guinea 1-0 but the Guineans went through 3-4 on penalties after both legs was tied one all.

The final tournament takes place in Algeria from March 19 to April 3, 2009. The Algiers finals will also serve as qualifiers for the FIFA Under 17 World
Cup to be staged in Nigeria later the same year.

Finalists of the 2009 Under Championship

Burkina Faso
Zimbabwe
Malawi
Niger
Gambia
Guinea
Cameroon
Algeria