Nigeria gets top-seed spot for 2025 U-20 AFCON draw
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have been ranked among the top three teams for the 2025 TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed the tournament’s draw procedure.
The tournament will take place in Côte d’Ivoire from April 26 to May 18, 2025, with 13 teams from across Africa competing.
Alongside Nigeria, the teams that have qualified include Egypt and Morocco (North Africa), Senegal and Sierra Leone (WAFU A), Ghana and hosts Côte d’Ivoire (WAFU B), Tanzania and Kenya (CECAFA), South Africa and Zambia (COSAFA), and DR Congo (Central Africa).
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles celebrated their WAFU B success by winning the regional championship last year, beating Ghana 2-1 in the final.
As the most successful team in the tournament’s history with seven titles, Nigeria finished third in the 2023 edition, which was won by Senegal. Because of this, they are among the top-seeded teams for the 2025 competition, alongside Senegal and hosts Côte d’Ivoire.
The 13 teams will be divided into three groups:
- Group A will have five teams.
- Groups B and C will each have four teams.
The top two teams from each group, plus the two best third-placed teams, will move on to the quarterfinals, followed by the semifinals, third-place playoff, and final.
CAF’s ranking for the draw is as follows:
- Senegal – Winners in 2023
- Nigeria – Third place in 2023
- Congo – Second in group stage
- Egypt – Third in group stage
- Zambia – Fourth in group stage
The hosts, Côte d’Ivoire, will automatically be placed in position A1, while Senegal and Nigeria will be in positions C1 and B1, respectively.
The draw will be done using five pots:
- Pot 1: Congo, Egypt, Zambia (to be drawn into A2, B2, and C2)
- Pot 2: The remaining seven teams (to be drawn into other group positions)
- Pots 3-5: For positions A3, B3, C3, A4, B4, C4, and A5
Nigeria is the most successful team in U-20 AFCON history with seven titles. They have also been runners-up twice at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Their last U-20 AFCON win came in 2015, when they beat hosts Senegal 1-0 in the final in Dakar.
As the 2025 edition will showcase Africa’s brightest young talents, Nigeria will be looking to reclaim their crown and extend their record as the most successful team in the competition’s history.
