Nigeria was in the high spirits of preparations to participate in the 2025 CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (U-17 AFCON) in Morocco, but the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the Golden Eaglets have not qualified for the championship.
The five-time world champions, who boast a record 10 appearances at the tournament, were aiming to extend their legacy but fell short in the qualifiers.
Manu Garba’s side finished third at the WAFU B U-17 championship last year, winning the bronze medal after a 3-2 victory over Ghana. However, only the top two teams secured automatic spots to Morocco 2025, leaving Nigeria out of contention.
Soccernet.ng reports that in recent weeks, there where speculations that the Eaglets might still qualify due to a possible expansion of the competition to 16 teams, influenced by FIFA’s recent changes to the U-17 World Cup format.
However, CAF has now proved the speculations as unrealistic, with a statement on Monday, that the U-17 AFCON will maintain its current 12-team structure, shutting the door on any late qualification hopes for Nigeria.
The anticipation for an expanded tournament stemmed from FIFA’s recent decision at its Bangkok congress to increase Africa’s U-17 World Cup slots to 10 teams for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
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With the global competition expanding to 48 teams, many believed CAF would adjust its qualification process to allow more African teams to compete.
Despite these changes at the world level, CAF has opted to retain the 12-team format for its continental tournament.
This means that only the best-performing nations from the regional qualifiers will make it to Morocco, and Nigeria, despite its rich history in youth football, will not be among them.
The TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2025, will run from March 30 – April 19, serving as the gateway for teams aiming to secure a spot at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar later that year.
The draw for the tournament is expected to take place later this month.
