Kenya to face defending champs Senegal in AFCON u-20 finals

Kenya’s u-20 men’s football team has landed a tough group for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON u-20) tournament scheduled for 26 April to 18 May in Cote d’Ivoire.
In a draw conducted on Thursday in Cairo, Egypt, the Rising Stars are were placed in group ‘C’ alongside defending champions Senegal, 2017 champions Zambia and debutants Sierra Leone.
Rising Stars earned their spot in the biennial African youth football tournament after finishing second in the CECAFA u-20 regional qualifiers in Tanzania last year.
Tactician Salim Babu has expressed confidence in his charges: “In today’s football, there are no favorites, so I fear nothing not even Senegal. With better preparations, we will showcase a great performance.”
This will be Kenya’s maiden appearance in the tournament that have been in existence for 46 years.
Neighboring Tanzania – the CECAFA Qualifiers winners – have been placed in group ‘A’, where they will come up against hosts Ivory Coast, four-time winners Ghana, and DR Congo. The final team in the group is yet to be confirmed, as Congo-Brazzaville serve a FIFA ban for third-party football interference.
The ‘pool of death’ however will see two of the most successful nations Egypt and Nigeria battle it out in group ‘B’ with 1997 winners Morocco and South Africa.