Egypt could step in following Cote d’Ivoire’s withdrawal as hosts of the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, which was originally scheduled for April 26 to May 18.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) announced: “The President of the Ivorian Football Federation and Chairman of the Organizing Committee for the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Yacine Idriss Diallo, confirms that the government has officially notified FIF of its decision to withdraw from hosting the tournament.
“Following the President’s directives, the Executive Director relayed this information to the CAF Secretary General on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. The President extends his deep gratitude to all those involved in the organizational efforts and affirms that all parties will be informed of CAF’s decisions regarding this situation.”
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) conducted the draw for the tournament on February 13, 2025, in Cairo, Egypt.
Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Tanzania and Central African Republic (CAR) are in Group A, while Group B has Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, Egypt, South Africa and Morocco.
Group C contains champions Senegal, Zambia, Kenya and Sierra Leone.
There are now reports that CAF
is in discussions with Egypt about replacing Cote d’Ivoire as hosts.
The four teams that reach the tournament’s semi-finals will qualify as Africa’s representatives for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
