The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially awarded Egypt the hosting rights for the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following Côte d’Ivoire’s sudden withdrawal due to government restrictions.
CAF announced the decision on wednesday after emergency discussions were held to address the uncertainty caused by Côte d’Ivoire’s inability to host the tournament.
The decision comes just weeks before the competition’s opening match.
According to sources, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) had been in talks with CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba in Cairo in anticipation of this development.
“The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) today awarded the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) and Egyptian Government the rights to host the CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025,” a CAF statement read.
“This follows CAF being 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 tournament,” the statement continued.
“The Egyptian Football Association and the Egyptian Government had previously submitted a bid to host the CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025,” it added.
Tournament Schedule and Teams
Egypt now has less than four weeks to complete preparations for the tournament, which is set to run from April 27 to May 18.
The opening match will take place on a Sunday, with the final scheduled three weeks later.
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Thirteen teams will compete in the tournament, with the top two from each group advancing to the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-placed teams.
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, led by coach Aliyu Zubairu, have been drawn in Group B alongside Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa.
