The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that Nigeria’s male U-17 team, the Golden Eaglets, have not yet qualified for the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which is set to take place from March 30 to April 19 in Morocco.
Clarification Amid Speculations
Recent speculation suggested that Nigeria might still have a pathway into the tournament despite failing to secure a spot during the WAFU B qualifiers in Ghana last year. However, CAF’s latest announcement dismissed those claims.
On Monday, CAF published key details regarding the upcoming 25th edition of the tournament, which has now been expanded to 16 teams. However, the governing body reiterated that Nigeria has not yet qualified.
“Mali and Nigeria have each appeared at 10 finals tournaments since 1995, the most of any nation. That includes the 2025 edition in Morocco, which Mali have qualified for but Nigeria have not,” CAF stated on its website.
Qualified Teams and Tournament Expansion
So far, 10 teams have secured their spots in the biennial competition:
- Egypt
- Morocco
- Mali
- Senegal
- Burkina Faso
- Ivory Coast
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Angola
- Zambia
CAF announced last week that its Executive Committee had approved the tournament’s expansion from 12 to 16 teams, leaving six additional spots to be filled.
“The Executive Committee approved the new format of the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (U-17 AFCON) Morocco 2025 qualifiers, increasing the number of participating teams from 12 to 16,” the governing body stated.
Nigeria’s Qualification Hopes
Nigeria finished third in the 2024 WAFU B U-17 Championship after defeating Ghana 3-2 in the third-place match. The top two teams, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, automatically qualified.
There is still uncertainty regarding whether Nigeria might receive an opportunity to compete in the expanded tournament, with only 10 of the 16 teams confirmed ahead of the draw later this month.
FIFA’s Influence on AFCON Expansion
The anticipation for an expanded tournament followed FIFA’s recent decision at its Bangkok Congress to increase Africa’s U-17 World Cup slots to 10 teams for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
With the global competition expanding to 48 teams, many believed CAF would adjust its qualification process to allow more African teams into the U-17 AFCON, which serves as the qualifier for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in November 2025.
The Golden Eaglets, five-time U-17 World Cup champions, will be hoping for a pathway into the tournament as CAF finalizes the remaining spots.
