The African Football Federation (CAF) officially appointed Egypt as the host of the 2025 Cup of African Nations under 20 years old (AFCON).
The news was released in a statement released Thursday night, marking a significant development in preparations for AFCON under 20.
Initially, Côte D’Ivoire planned to host a competition for the age group, which is scheduled to be held from April 26 to May 18, 2025. However, a month before the event, Côteld d’Ivoire withdrew from its presidency, citing “unwelcome situations” that prevented them from fulfilling their commitments. This sudden change has caused concerns about the future of the game.
In a statement, the CAF expressed appreciation to the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) and the Egyptian government because they were willing to intervene in a short period of time.
The football agency said, “The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) today awarded the rights to host the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025 to the Egyptian Football Association and the Egyptian Government. This decision follows notifications from 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.”
Egypt was previously held at the Under 20 AFCON in 2023 and has achieved great success and will once again be responsible for organizing this important competition.
AFCON under 2025 has now been rescheduled to begin on April 27, allowing for a tight but manageable schedule for preparation.
In terms of team engagement, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles were drawn to the match’s Group B, where they will face host Egypt as well as Morocco and South Africa.
To improve, the first two teams in each group will be eligible for the knockout stage, while the two best third-place teams will also win in the quarterfinals.
It is worth noting that the semi-finals will receive automatic qualifications for the Under-20 World Cup in 2025, which will be held in Chile, adding additional incentives to the teams participating in this critical match.
