The 2025 CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), tagged Morocco 2025, will kick off on Sunday with an opening match between the hosts and Uganda, as Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets are missing, www.aclsports.com reports.
For this year’s edition in the Arab country, sixteen teams will vie for the continental crown and a place at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup later this year. The journey to a long national team career begins here for many of the continent’s top young talents, who will get a first taste of an international competition at the expanded tournament.
Nigeria’s U17 team, the Golden Eaglets, missed out on the tournament in Morocco after suffering defeat at the hands of Cote d’Ivoire at the WAFU B tournament in Ghana last year.
Morocco were last hosts of the continental competition back in 2013, which Nigeria, led by forward Kelechi Iheanacho, lost to Cote d’Ivoire in the final. It is expected that this year’s edition will produce more players who will go on to have an excellent career.
For the expanded World Cup in Qatar, 48 teams will feature, and Africa will have 10 teams represent the continent on the global stage. This will include the eight quarter-finalists and two more teams decided via play-off matches between the sides that finish third in their pools in the group stages.
In addition, the tournament will sport a new trophy, with the concept behind the silverware being the ‘Journey Begins’. It also features a road-like structure symbolizing the player’s path, integrated with the map of Africa to reflect continental pride and unity.
El Bachir Stadium in Mohammedia, Larbi Zaouli Stadium and Berrechid Stadium, which are both in Casablanca, as well as the El Abdi Stadium in El Jadida, are the venues for this tournament.
The tournament’s opening match will be at the El Bachir Stadium on Sunday when Morocco play East African champions Uganda in a 22h00 kick-off local time (23:00 Nigerian time).
For a full list of TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 Fixtures, Times and Venues – CLICK HERE
CAF U-17 CAF AFCON, Morocco 2025 Groups:
GROUP A: Morocco (Hosts), Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia
GROUP B: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, South Africa, Egypt
GROUP C: Senegal, Gambia, Somalia, Tunisia
GROUP D: Mali, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Central African Republic
