- Nigeria's Golden Eaglets have officially failed to qualify for the 2025 CAF U17 AFCON in Morocco after finishing third at the WAFU B U17 Championship
- CAF confirmed on Monday that the U17 AFCON will retain its 12-team format, shutting down any hopes of Nigeria qualifying through an expanded tournament
- CAF’s decision contradicts FIFA’s move to expand Africa’s representation at the global tournament
Nigeria’s hopes of participating in the 2025 CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) have officially been dashed, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirming that the Golden Eaglets have not qualified for the tournament in Morocco.
The five-time U17 world champions, known for their dominance at the youth level, failed to secure one of the automatic qualification spots from the WAFU B U17 Championship held last year.
Nigeria finished third in the competition after a 3-2 win over Ghana in the bronze medal match. However, only the top two teams were granted passage to the AFCON, leaving Manu Garba’s boys out of contention.
Speculation had mounted in recent weeks that Nigeria could still qualify due to a potential expansion of the tournament. FIFA’s decision to increase Africa’s U17 World Cup slots from 4 to 10 for the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar also fuelled hopes that CAF would follow suit by enlarging the U17 AFCON format to 16 teams.
However, in an official statement released on Monday, February 3, CAF confirmed that the 2025 edition will maintain its existing 12-team structure, shutting down any possibility of Nigeria sneaking into the competition.
The decision means that only the best-performing teams from regional qualifiers will compete in Morocco, leaving Nigeria’s famed youth team to watch from the sidelines.
Despite their illustrious history and record of ten appearances at the tournament, the Golden Eaglets will have no role to play on the road to Qatar 2025.
The TotalEnergies CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025, is scheduled to run from March 30 to April 19. It will serve as the primary qualification pathway for African teams hoping to book a ticket to the expanded FIFA U17 World Cup later in the year. The official draw for the tournament is expected to take place later this month.
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