Egypt awarded U20 AFCON hosting rights following Ivory Coast's withdrawal

The Confederation of African Football on Thursday awarded the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) and Egyptian Government the rights to host this year’s U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The decision by CAF follows the official withdrawal of previous hosts - Ivory Coast - who had been poised to host the tournament running between 26 April and 18 May.

The Egyptian Football Association and the Egyptian government had previously submitted a bid to host the CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, and perhaps that is the reason why they snapped up the opportunity when it came again.

The dates for the tournament remain unchanged.

The opening match is scheduled for Sunday, 27 April, with the final taking place on 18 May.

CAF confirmed the withdrawal of Ivory Coast in their statement, saying, “The Fédération Ivoirienne de Football (“FIF”) and the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, due to unforeseen circumstances, are unable to host the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025.”

REPORTS: Ivory Coast withdraws as AFCON U20 host

Kenya’s U20 squad is set to grace the tournament for the first time in its current format and has been placed in Group C, where it will take on defending champions Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Zambia.

The team, led by coach Salim Babu, has been camping in Thika in the past week, ready for a go in their first continental stab.

Sofapaka defender Baron Ochieng expressed confidence in his team’s chances, stating, “We have been performing well as a team. We have played together for sometime which means we have gelled well.

We will not be going to the AFCON to participate, nor are we going for a trip. We are going for the title.”

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The tournament will have the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-placed teams.

After a round of knockouts, the four semi-finalists will also secure spots in the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025.