CAF sets date for U20 AFCON 2025 draw in Côte d’Ivoire

CAF sets date for U20 AFCON 2025 draw in Côte d’Ivoire

CAF sets date for U20 AFCON 2025 draw in Côte d’Ivoire

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CAF has confirmed the final draw date for the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be held in Côte d’Ivoire. The draw will take place on 13 February at the CAF headquarters in Cairo, setting the stage for Africa’s top young talents to battle for World Cup qualification

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the date for the final draw of the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), scheduled for 13 February at its headquarters in Cairo. The draw will take place at 14:25 local time (12:25 GMT)

The tournament, set to run from 26 April to 18 May 2025 in Côte d’Ivoire, will feature 13 teams. The top four finishers will secure qualification for the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, which will be held in Chile from 27 September to 19 October

Teams will be divided into three groups: Group A will consist of five teams, including hosts Côte d’Ivoire, while Groups B and C will each feature four teams. Côte d’Ivoire is automatically assigned position A1, with the remaining seeds determined based on final rankings from the 2023 edition of the tournament in Egypt

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Reigning champions Senegal will take position C1, while Nigeria, the third-place finishers in 2023, will occupy B1

Following Congo’s FIFA suspension, the identity of the second team from the UNIFFAC Zonal Union remains uncertain. However, the UNIFFAC representative will be placed in Pot 1 (Level 2) alongside Egypt and Zambia. Teams in this pot will be drawn into positions A2, B2, and C2

The tournament structure will see the top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-placed teams. The knockout stage will then determine the eventual champions

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The 13 teams that have qualified for the 2025 Under-20 AFCON are: Côte d’Ivoire (hosts), DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and a UNIFFAC Zonal Union team yet to be determined

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