The Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2025 gets underway today, with hosts Egypt facing South Africa in the tournament’s opening match in Cairo.

The competition, which runs from 27 April to 18 May, brings together 13 nations battling for continental supremacy and four coveted places at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile later this year.

Egypt head Group A alongside Zambia, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Tanzania. In today’s other Group A fixture, Zambia will take on tournament debutants Sierra Leone in Ismailia.

Egypt, three-time champions and one of the most successful nations at this level, are eager to reclaim the title they last won in 2013. Coach Osama Nabih believes his young Pharaohs are ready to rise to the occasion.

“Our players are focused and have the desire to achieve an honorable result at the start of the competition. They have a high spirit that was evident in training,” Nabih said at Saturday’s pre-match press conference.

Nabih, a former Egyptian international, also warned that the margins are slim at this level. “African football is developing significantly and there is no big team and another small one. The tournament is difficult, and all levels are close together. Football only believes in giving and effort,” he stressed.

The coach revealed that his technical staff has extensively studied Egypt’s group opponents, acknowledging that every team arrives with ambition and modern tactical approaches.

“We are confident in our players,” Nabih added. “They are well aware of the challenge and determined to honour Egyptian football.”

This year’s U-20 AFCON promises a high level of competition. Record seven-time champions Nigeria headline Group B alongside Morocco, Tunisia and Kenya. Defending champions Senegal open their campaign against Central African Republic in Group C, where they are joined by Ghana and DR Congo.

The tournament boasts a proud history of producing some of Africa’s biggest football stars, including Yaya Touré, Mohamed Salah, Patson Daka, and Benni McCarthy. Many more are expected to announce themselves on the big stage this year.

Beyond continental glory, the four semi-finalists will book their tickets to the FIFA U-20 World Cup, continuing Africa’s proud tradition of producing global stars.

Egypt’s match against South Africa is expected to draw a large crowd in Cairo, with local fans eager to see the next generation of talent. Meanwhile, Zambia will look to assert their pedigree against a spirited Sierra Leone side making their tournament debut.

With history, pride, and World Cup qualification at stake, the stage is set for an unforgettable edition of Africa’s premier youth competition.

-CAF

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The president of the Confédération of African Football, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has announced five new CAF Vice Presidents. They are:

• CAF First Vice President: Mr Fouzi Lekjaa (Morocco)  
• CAF Second Vice President: Mr Kurt Okraku (Ghana)
• CAF Third Vice President: Mr Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)
• CAF Fourth Vice President: Ms Bestine Kazadi Ditabala (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• CAF Fifth Vice President: Mr Feizal Sidat (Mozambique)

In addition, the CAF President has co-opted Yacine Idriss Diallo, President of Fédération Ivoirienne de football, into the CAF Executive Committee.

The CAF Executive Committee also approved the names to fill vacant positions on several CAF Committees.

Organising Committee for the African Nations Championship (CHAN)

• President:  Pierre-Alain Mounguengui (Gabon)

CAF Technical and Development Committee

• President: Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon)
• Vice President:  Malouche Belhassen (Tunisia)

CAF Medical Committee:

• President: Dr. Mohammed Bouya (Mauritania)
• Vice President: Dr. Thulani Ngwenya (South Africa)

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From flags to a life-size statue, images and homages to Pope Francis were visible all around the Pedro Bidegain stadium in Buenos Aires on Saturday as his beloved San Lorenzo de Almagro soccer team took to the field for the first time since the pontiff’s death.

Players wore jerseys with images of the late Pope along with the words “Together for Eternity,” as a remembrance for the passion Francis showed the team throughout his life, even remaining a member during his 12-year papacy.

A view shows a shirt of the San Lorenzo de Almagro, Pope Francis’ hometown soccer team, with a badge with an image of him and a message reading “together for eternity”, on the day of an Argentine first division match against Rosario Central, following the death of the pontiff, at the Pedro… 

“The Pope is from Boedo,” fans chanted before the kickoff, unfurling Vatican-coloured

yellow-and-white flags. The club, based in the Boedo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, plans to name its new stadium after Pope Francis.

During the halftime show, Scholas Occurrentes, an international organization created by the Pope in 2013 to transform global education, also paid tribute to the pope, who died on Monday at the age of 88.

Jorge Bergoglio inherited his passion for the popular Argentine club from his father and never lost it.

“And may San Lorenzo win,” Bergoglio said shortly after his election in 2013, as part of a series of wishes for his home country.

While he never returned to Argentina as pope, a life-size statue of Francis wearing a scarf with the team’s colors, blue and red, around his neck and overlooked the match against Rosario Central from the sidelines.

The match remained scoreless until the 91st minute when Enzo Copetti scored the lone goal for Rosario Central, handing the pope’s hometown team a 1-0 defeat.

During his years at the Vatican, Francis was named an honorary San Lorenzo member and received several visits from club delegations, including one after the club won the Copa Libertadores in 2014 and presented the trophy to the Catholic leader.

-Reuters

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