CAIRO — The CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2025, kicked off in style with a vibrant opening ceremony at Cairo International Stadium, setting the stage for what promises to be an exhilarating tournament.
The event captured the spirit of African unity and youth energy.
The opening ceremony put together by the United Sports Company in collaboration with the Local Organising Committee, combined cultural showcases with modern artistry to celebrate the start of Africa’s premier youth football competition.
Egyptian music star Ramy Sabry headlined the festivities, electrifying the crowd with a series of his biggest hits, creating an atmosphere of celebration and excitement among the thousands of fans in attendance.
The opening ceremony’s impressive production and colourful performances offered a glimpse into the cultural richness of Egypt and Africa as a whole, setting a positive tone for the rest of the tournament.
The tournament runs from April 27 to May 18, featuring 13 teams from across the continent battling not only for the continental title but also for four coveted places at the FIFA U-20 World Cup later this year in Chile.
Group A action was played immediately after the ceremony, with hosts Egypt edging South Africa 1-0 in Cairo after Sierra Leone and Zambia played out a goalless draw earlier in the day in Ismailia.
Egypt, three-time champions at this level, are aiming for a fifth title to add to their successes in 1981, 1991, 2003, and 2013.
They share the five-team Group A with South Africa, Zambia, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.
The top two teams in each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarter-finals.
With national pride and World Cup qualification on the line, the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 AFCON 2025 is off to a bright and festive start.
After resuming the organisation of the CAF U-20 AFCON after the last-minute withdrawal of Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt will approach the competition as favourites.
They share Pool A with Zambia, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Tanzania. The country of the Pharaohs will be able to rely not only on its talents but also on the support of the public to try to do well.
Even before winning the status of host country at the very last minute, Egypt had already negotiated its qualification on the field, at the end of the qualifiers that it hosted from November 14 to 26, 2024.
The Young Pharaohs had snatched one of the two tickets at stake by finishing in second place, behind Morocco.
This year, Egypt will honour its fourteenth participation in the Junior Africa Cup of Nations.
The country has one of the best records in the tournament with four trophies won (1881, 1991, 2003 and 2013).
Only Nigeria, the record holder with 7 trophies won in this tournament, has done better. The country has also played in eight editions of the Junior World Cup, finishing third in 2001.
Past Winners
Seven-time winners Nigeria has been the most successful nation in the competition, though three of those have come since it was staged with a single host.
Ghana and Egypt have four wins each, with no other nation managing to lift the trophy more than once after that.
Algeria (1979), Cameroon (1995), Morocco (1997), Angola (2001), Congo (2007), Zambia (2017), Mali (2019) and Senegal (2023) have all been previous winners.
