Mali

Confederation – CAF (Africa)

FIFA Code – MLI

Nickname(s) – Les Aigles (The Eagles)

Tournament History

In the previous edition of FIFA U-17 World Cup (2015), Mali had ended on a high as they had finished as a runner-up. It is also their best performance in this tournament. The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup is their fifth appearance in this youth tournament history.

Year	Hosts	Final Status
1997	Egypt	Quarter-Finals
1999	New Zealand	Group Stage
2001	Trinidad and Tobago	Quarter-Finals
*2015*	*Chile*	*Runners-up*

(Note: The best performance(s) is/are marked in bold and italic)

Present Status (for 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup)

i) The Journey: Mali has qualified for the upcoming 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup through the 2017 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, where they had become the champion. In the final match of that competition, Mali had beaten Ghana (1-0) to clinch the crown.

ii) Head Coach: Jonas Komla (Nationality – Mali) became the head coach of this team after the end of the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where the team had finished as runner-up under Baye Ba’s coaching. Under Jonas Komla, Mali had won the 2017 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations which shows his strong capacity in the big tournaments.

iii) Full Squad: (Goalkeepers) Alkalifa Coulibaly, Youssouf Koita, Massire Gassama

(Defenders) Boubacar Haidara, Fode Konate, Mamadi Fofana, Soumalia Doumbia, Abdoulaye Diaby, Ibrahiim Kane

(Midfielders) Djemoussa Traore, Mohamed Camara, Abdoulaye Dabo, Salam Giddou, Siaka Sidibe, Mamadou Samake, Cheick Oumar Doucoure

(Forwards) Hadji Drame, Seme Camara, Mamadou Traore, Mahamane Toure, Lassana Ndiaye

iv) Player(s) To Watch Out:

Hajdi Drame (Present Club – Yelleni Olimpic)

Hajdi Drame is a talented striker. He was the top-scorer for his team during the 2017 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations where he had scored total three goals.