AFCON U17, U20 draws throw up exciting fixtures

By Peter Ochieng

Football fans across the African continent have every reason to get excited.

For starters, the 2025 U17 and U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments are just around the corner.

The U17 competition will be contested by 16 African nations between, from 30th March to April 19th in Morocco, with the draw conducted by the Confederations of African Football (CAF) on Thursday throwing up exciting group fixtures to look forward to.

Hosts Morocco headline an interesting Group A, consisting of East African neighbours Uganda, and Tanzania. Zambia completes the group’s lineup.

Group B brings together Burkina Faso, alongside champions of UNIFFAC1 qualifiers, 2015 runners-up South Africa, as well former champions Egypt.

Defending champions Senegal who beat Morocco in the last edition’s tightly contested final are in a modest Group C, paired alongside 2009 champions Gambia, Somalia and 2013 bronze medalists Tunisia.

Mali, debutants Angola, 2013 champions Ivory Coast and UNIFFAC 2 have been paired together in Group D.

AFCON 2025 U17 FULL DRAW:

GROUP A: Morocco, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia

GROUP B: Burkina Faso, UNIFFAC 1, South Africa, Egypt

GROUP C: Senegal, Gambia, Somalia, Tunisia

GROUP D: Mali, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, UNIFFAC 2

The final of the U17 tournament on 19th April will pave the way for the start of the U20 championships, from April 26th to May 18th in Ivory Coast.   

It will feature 13 teams competing for continental glory and four qualification spots for the FIFA U20 World Cup 2025, in Chile.

According to the 2025 AFCON U20 draw conducted on Thursday, heavyweight clashes are expected from the opening round.

Record title winners Nigeria are among three former winners placed in the same group. The Flying Eagles are in Group B, where they will face former champions Egypt and Morocco as well as South Africa.

In Group A, hosts Ivory Coast will take on DR Congo, Ghana, Tanzania, and a second representative from the UNIFFAC region.

Defending champions Senegal are in group C, and will face Zambia, Kenya, and Sierra Leone. The tournament will follow a three-group format, with Group A containing five teams, while Groups B and C each feature four teams each.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-placed teams.

The tournament will then proceed in a knockout format, culminating in the final on 18th May 2025.

To add the icing on the cake, the four semi-finalists will book their place at the FIFA U20 World Cup Chile 2025 later this year.

Defending champions Senegal will be chasing a second title after winning the first one in 2023, in Egypt 2023.

They will however face stiff competition from Nigeria, the most successful team in the tournament’s history with seven titles (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, and 2015).

2025 AFCON U20 FULL DRAW:

Group A: Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Ghana, Tanzania, UNIFFAC qualifier

Group B: Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa

Group C: Senegal, Zambia, Kenya, and Sierra Leone