The Confederation of African Football, CAF has clarified that next year’s Africa Under-17 Cup of Nations will still have 12 finalists in attendance, as against the minimum of 16 teams being projected by African Football Enthusiasts.
This means that despite defeating host nation Ghana in Tuesday’s third-place match of the WAFU B Under 17 Championship, the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria have not qualified for the finals.
Nigeria Football Federation said in a statement that CAF’s Director of Competitions, Mr. Samson Adamu gave the clarification in an interview.
Expectations had been high among African Football fans that the 2025 Africa Under 17 Cup of Nations would be expanded, following FIFA’s allocation, at its recent congress in Thailand, of 10 slots to the continent for the 2025 FIFA Under 17 World Cup that Qatar has been designated to host.
Qatar will host five consecutive FIFA Under 17 World Cup finals beginning next year, each having 48 teams in attendance.
