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Blow for Eaglets as CAF shuts the door on Nigeria for Morocco 2025

2 hours ago
by Obi Donald
imago1029747607

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Nigeria’s hopes of competing at the 2025 CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco have been dashed, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirming the Golden Eaglets have not qualified, Soccernet.ng reports.

The five-time world champions, who boast a record ten appearances at the tournament, were aiming to extend their legacy but fell short in the qualifiers.

Football, Mali v Nigeria. FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015. Nigeria s players celebrates with the trophy of final FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015, against Mali at Sausalito stadium in Viña del Mar, Chile. Photo by IMAGO

Manu Garba’s side finished third at the WAFU B U17 Championship last year, winning the bronze medal after a 3-2 victory over Ghana. However, only the top two teams secured automatic spots at Morocco 2025, leaving Nigeria out of contention.

In recent weeks, speculation arose that the Eaglets might still qualify due to a possible expansion of the competition to 16 teams, influenced by FIFA’s recent changes to the U17 World Cup format.

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However, CAF has now confirmed, with a statement on Monday (today), that the U17 AFCON will maintain its current 12-team structure, shutting the door on any late qualification hopes for Nigeria.

Nigeria's Golden Eaglets
Burkina Faso V Nigeria – U17, U 17 Africa Cup Of Nations Burkina Faso s players celebrate a goal during the U17 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal match between Nigeria and Burkina Faso in Algiers, Algeria, May 11, 2023 Photo By IMAGO

The anticipation for an expanded tournament stemmed from FIFA’s recent decision at its Bangkok Congress to increase Africa’s U17 World Cup slots to 10 teams for the 2025 FIFA U17 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 to compete.

Despite these changes at the world level, CAF has opted to retain the 12-team format for its continental tournament.

Nigeria's Golden Eaglets
Burkina Faso V Nigeria – U17, U 17 Africa Cup Of Nations Nigeria s line-up players pose for a group photo ahead of the U17 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal match between Nigeria and Burkina Faso in Algiers, Algeria, May 11, 2023 Photo By IMAGO

This means that only the best-performing nations from the regional qualifiers will make it to Morocco, and Nigeria, despite its rich history in youth football, will not be among them.

The TotalEnergies CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025, will run from March 30 to April 19, serving as the gateway for teams aiming to secure a spot at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar later that year.

The draw for the tournament is expected to take place later this month.

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