The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved an expansion of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from 12 to 16 teams, starting with the 2025 edition in Morocco.
This decision, made by CAF’s Executive Committee on Monday, aligns with FIFA’s earlier move to increase Africa’s slots at the U17 World Cup from five to ten. Initially, CAF had not followed suit, leading to concerns from football analysts. However, the expansion now presents a renewed opportunity for Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets, who have won the U17 World Cup a record five times, to return to continental competition.
The tournament is set to take place from March 30 to April 19, 2025, with all eight quarter-finalists securing spots at the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar as CAF representatives.
So far, ten teams have secured qualification: Egypt, Morocco, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Uganda, Angola, and Zambia. Nigeria, having finished third in the 2024 WAFU B Championship, missed out on automatic qualification, as only the top two teams advanced. However, with six additional slots now available, the Golden Eaglets still have a chance to qualify for the tournament.
This expansion brings fresh hope for Nigeria and other nations yet to qualify, as they look to compete on the continental stage and, ultimately, the FIFA U17 World Cup.
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