Egypt awarded U20 AFCON hosting rights after Ivory Coast’s withdrawal

The opening match of the 13-team tournament will be played on Sunday, 27 April 2025, and the Final on Sunday, May 18 2025.

“This is subsequent to CAF having been informed by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football (“FIF”) and the Government of Côte d'Ivoire that due to unforeseen circumstances, they are unable to host the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025.

“The Egyptian Football Association and the Egyptian Government had previously submitted a bid to host the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025,” said CAF in a statement.

Under20 AFCON serves as a gateway to the Under20 World Cup in Chile in September this year, where four African teams will join 20 others.

Egypt hosted the last edition in 2023 with Senegal winning for the first time history after a 2-0 victory over Gambia.

Ivory Coast announced its withdrawal as the host nation for the tournament with just a month to go.

The reasons behind her withdrawal as host nation have not been made clear, though reports point towards logistical challenges and finances.

Kenya’s Rising Stars are set to make their debut in the tournament and are in Group C alongside defending champions Senegal, Sierra Leone and Zambia.

Kenya will represent the CECAFA region alongside Tanzania after the two teams reached the qualifiers final held in Dar es Salaam last October, with the hosts winning 2-1 but both sides qualified for the tournament.

The top two teams in each group qualify for the quarter-finals along with the two best third-placed sides, before the competition continues in a knockout format.

Four best teams will book tickets for the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup that will be held in Chile from 27 September-19 October, 2025.

Group A: Cote d’Ivoire, UNIFAC2*, DR Congo, Ghana, Tanzania