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U20 Afcon: Kenya face Nigeria in must-win clash
Kenya Under 20 players train in Cairo, Egypt on May 6, 2025 on the eve of their 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations match against Nigeria.
What you need to know:
- Only the top two teams in each of the three groups, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage.
- Importantly, all four semi-finalists will earn a ticket to the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, which will be held in Chile from September 27 to October 19.
In Cairo
Kenya’s Rising Stars face a do-or-die fixture on Wednesday against Nigeria in their final Group “B” match at the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in Cairo, Egypt.
The crucial tie will be staged at the June 30 Stadium from 6pm Kenyan time.
Following narrow defeats—3-2 to Morocco in their opener and 3-1 to Tunisia in the second match—Kenya must now beat seven-time champions Nigeria by a significant margin and hope other results go their way to sneak into the quarter-finals.
Only the top two teams in each of the three groups, along with the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage.
Importantly, all four semi-finalists will earn a ticket to the 2025 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, which will be held in Chile from September 27 to October 19.
Kenya will need Tunisia to lose to Morocco to dislodge them from the third spot. As it stands South Africa (3 points), Zambia (3) from Group “A” and Senegal (1) and Central Africa Republic (1) are in a beater position to clinch the two third-placed best spots.
Speaking after Kenya’s loss to Tunisia on Monday, Rising Stars assistant coach Anthony Akhulia admitted his side underperformed compared to their promising display against Morocco. He emphasized that the responsibility lies with the entire team.
"We're losing focus late in both halves. Tunisia capitalized, and despite defensive adjustments, we couldn't regain control. We need to concentrate on our training, more so our concentration, before facing Nigeria on Wednesday," said Akhulia.
His Tunisian counterpart, coach Ben Soltane, praised his squad’s depth and performance, pointing out that even players who hadn’t featured previously proved their worth.
"I believe my team are of the same level," Soltane said, citing the man of the match against Kenya, who did not play in their previous game against Nigeria.
As things stand in Group 'B', Nigeria and Morocco lead with four points each, followed by Tunisia with three. Kenya remains bottom without a point and must now pull off a remarkable result against a top-tier Nigerian side to stand a chance of progressing.
Sierra Leone top Group 'A' with seven points, Egypt follow with four, while South Africa (3), Zambia (2), and Tanzania (0) complete the standings.
