The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that Nigeria’s U-17 men’s team, the Golden Eaglets, has not secured a spot at the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
This clarification follows widespread speculation regarding the team’s qualification chances, despite failing to secure a ticket during the WAFU B qualifiers in Ghana last year.
On Monday, CAF released details about the upcoming 25th edition of the tournament, which has now been expanded to accommodate 16 teams. However, the statement reiterated that Nigeria is yet to qualify.
“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 noted on its official website.
With only 10 teams officially confirmed for the tournament so far, there is still uncertainty over whether Nigeria might get another opportunity to qualify. The draw for the competition is set to take place later this month.
The teams that have already secured qualification include Egypt, Morocco, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Uganda, Angola, and Zambia.
Last week, CAF announced that its executive committee had approved the tournament’s expansion, increasing the number of participating teams from 12 to 16.
