AFCON 2025: Nigeria into Group B with Egypt, South Africa, Morocco
The draw ceremony for the African youth tournament was conducted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Thursday evening at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
Mali international Adama Coulibaly and Senegal football legend Souleymane Camara served as draw assistants with the tournament set to produce Africa’s representatives for the FIFA U20 World Cup billed for Chile.
Seven-time African champions Flying Eagles and third best team in the last edition in Egypt must navigate their way past the Young Pharaohs, 1997 African champions Young Atlas Lions and the South African junior team.
Host nation Cote d’Ivoire will take on four-time African champions Ghana, DR Congo, and Tanzania with a second representative from the UNIFFAC region to complete that zone.
Meanwhile, reigning African champions Senegal will battle Zambia, Kenya and Sierra Leone in their bid to defend their title.
The tournament will take place from April 26th to May 18th 2025 with four qualification spots guaranteed for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025.
As revealed by the Confederation of African Football, this competition with a three-group format, will see the top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals.
Two best third-placed teams will progress and from there, the competition will proceed in a knockout format.
Nigeria are the most successful African team with seven titles having won the 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, and 2015 editions.
Ghana will look to reclaim the title they last won in 2021. Interestingly, they are the only African team to win the FIFA U20 World Cup when an Andre Ayew-inspired team beat Brazil on penalties in the 2009 edition.
