CAF Confirms Nigeria’s Absence from 2025 U17 AFCON
1 min read
By Sportsgister
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets, five-time world champions, will miss the 2025 CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed the team’s failure to qualify.
Despite their illustrious history and ten prior appearances in the tournament, Nigeria’s hopes were dashed after finishing third at the WAFU B U17 Championship last year. Manu Garba’s team secured a bronze medal with a 3-2 victory over Ghana but fell short of automatic qualification, which was reserved for the top two teams in the regional tournament.
Recent speculation suggested that Nigeria could still qualify if CAF expanded the competition to 16 teams. This was anticipated following FIFA’s decision to increase Africa’s U17 World Cup slots to 10 for the 2025 tournament in Qatar. However, CAF announced on Monday that the U17 AFCON will remain a 12-team competition, solidifying Nigeria’s exclusion.
The 2025 U17 AFCON, scheduled from March 30 to April 19, will serve as the qualifying event for Africa’s representatives at the FIFA U17 World Cup. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s absence from the tournament marks a significant setback for a nation with a rich legacy in youth football.
The tournament draw is expected to take place later this month.
Sedara Philip is a Sports writer, an administrator,Journalist,and editor
