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Kenya suffers another blow at U-20 Afcon, World Cup dream in the balance
Kenya's Lawrence Okoth (left) vies for the ball with Rayan Boukadida of Tunisia during their 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations match at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo, Egypt on May 4, 2025.
What you need to know:
- Kenya had set its sights on qualifying for the global tournament, but back-to-back losses have now extinguished those hopes.
- Later tonight, Morocco and Nigeria will face off in the other Group “B” fixture at the same venue.
Kenya's hopes of reaching the quarter-finals of the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) suffered a major blow after a 3-1 defeat to Tunisia at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday.
Despite taking an early lead, the ‘Rising Stars’ were once again undone by defensive errors in the Group “B” clash.
Forward Lawrence Ouma gave Kenya a promising start with a 16th-minute goal, but Tunisia levelled in first-half stoppage time through Fares Bousnina, who converted from the penalty spot after a clumsy handball by defender Baron Ochieng’.
In the second half, substitute Omar Ben Ali put Tunisia ahead in the 70th minute before Alaeddine Derbali sealed the victory five minutes from time.
Both teams came into the match in desperate need of a win after losing their opening games. Kenya had fallen 3-2 to tournament favourites and former champions Morocco on Thursday night, while Tunisia suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to seven-time winners Nigeria.
The top two teams from each of the three groups, along with the two best third-placed teams, will qualify for the quarter-finals. All four semi-finalists will earn a place in the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Chile, scheduled for September 27 to October 19.
Kenya had set its sights on qualifying for the global tournament, but back-to-back losses have now diminished those hopes.
Later tonight, Morocco and Nigeria will face off in the other Group “B” fixture at the same venue.
