Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will begin their quest for an eighth continental title against Tunisia, Kenya, and Morocco in Group B of the 2025 U-20 AFCON in Egypt.
The group-stage draw, conducted on Sunday at the Egyptian Football Association headquarters in Cairo, officially signalled the start of the 18th edition of the tournament that has long served as a launchpad for some of Africa’s finest football talents.
Running from April 27 to May 18, this year’s championship will feature 13 teams divided across three groups, Group A with five teams, while Groups B and C will each include four. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals.
Hosts Egypt, three-time winners of the competition, were automatically placed in position A1, while defending champions Senegal and seven-time record holders Nigeria were seeded in C1 and B1, respectively.
Following the withdrawal of Côte d’Ivoire as the original hosts, the draw had to be recalibrated. Egypt and South Africa, who were initially placed in Nigeria’s group, have now been drawn into Group A, where they join Zambia, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.
For the Flying Eagles, the challenge will now come from two North African rivals, Tunisia and Morocco, alongside East African debutants Kenya in Group B.
Group C is headlined by title holders Senegal, who will battle for a knockout berth against Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and four-time champions Ghana.
The Flying Eagles returned to Abuja after a three-week training camp in Katsina and are expected to depart for Egypt later this week for an eight-day final-phase preparation ahead of their opening fixture.
The stakes are even higher this year, as the top four semi-finalists will earn qualification for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, scheduled to take place from September 27 to October 19.
