Latest news with #TotalEnergiesCAFUnder-20AfricaCupofNations
CAF
18-05-2025
- Sport
- CAF
WHERE TO WATCH: TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Final
Published: Sunday, 18 May 2025 The eyes of the continent will be focussed on Cairo on Sunday night when the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2025 is staged between South Africa and Morocco. The much anticipated encounter, which is a repeat of the 1997 decider between the same two sides, will take place at 18:00 GMT (21:00 local time) at the 30 June Stadium. As two of the continent's most exciting young sides prepare to battle for top honours, CAF has confirmed the list of broadcasters that will televise the match live. You can watch the Final Live on various platforms including beIN Sport (MENA, France, Asia-Pacific and Americas), Canal+ (sub-Saharan Africa), SuperSport (sub-Saharan Africa), New World TV (sub-Saharan Africa), Azam Media, SABC and On-Time Sport. CAF's YouTube official page, CAF TV, will show the match in the rest of the world but not in the MENA region and other selected sub-Saharan territories.
CAF
17-05-2025
- Sport
- CAF
TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2025 Newsletter looks back at incredible tournament ahead of final
Published: Saturday, 17 May 2025 The TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2025 will conclude on Sunday when Morocco and South Africa clash in the final at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo at 21:00 local time (18:00 GMT). It has been a thrilling tournament to date, filled with fantastic football, intriguing clashes and young rising stars of the continent who have shown the world they have a bright future in the game. Ahead of the final, CAF have created a newsletter that looks back on the tournament, provides insight into the players and coaches, and highlights the views of members of the CAF Technical Study Group and scouts from top clubs. We look back at the key stories from the tournament, the numbers behind the event and the top five matches to whet the appetite ahead of Sunday's decider. To download the newsletter, CLICK HERE.
CAF
17-05-2025
- Sport
- CAF
MATCH FACTS: Nigeria, Egypt battle for bronze medal at TotalEnergies CAF U20 AFCON
Nigeria and Egypt meet in the third-place play-off at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, with a clash at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo (18:00 local time / 15:00 GMT). This will be the sixth meeting between the two nations at the U-20 AFCON finals since 1993. Nigeria have won three previous encounters, including group stage victories in 2009 (2-0) and 2023 (1-0), as well as the 2005 final (2-0). Egypt's only win came in the 2013 semi-final, where they triumphed 2-0, while their 2007 group stage clash ended 1-1. This marks the second time Nigeria face Egypt as tournament hosts, having defeated them 1-0 in the 2023 group stage. It will also be the ninth time Nigeria take on the host nation at the tournament. Their record in such fixtures is six wins and two losses from eight previous games. In all eight of those matches, only the winning side has scored, and Nigeria have kept six clean sheets. They have won their last four matches against host nations, beating Senegal twice in 2015 (group stage and final), and overcoming Niger and Egypt in 2019 and 2023 respectively. This is the fourth straight tournament where Nigeria face the hosts. Nigeria's two losses to host nations came in finals: a 1-0 defeat to Ghana in 1999 and a similar scoreline against Congo in 2007. Their 4-0 win over Tunisia in the 2023 third-place play-off remains the largest margin of victory recorded in this fixture. The third-place game has gone to penalties on four occasions: in 2003, 2005, 2019, and 2021. Only twice has it ended 0-0 after regulation time – South Africa's shootout win over Nigeria in 2019 and Gambia's penalty triumph over Tunisia in 2021. NIGERIA FACTS · At the 2025 edition, Nigeria have won only one game in open play – their opening 1-0 victory over Tunisia. They drew their next two group games, 0-0 against Morocco and 2-2 with Kenya. · Their quarter-final clash against Senegal also ended goalless, with Nigeria advancing via penalties, before losing 1-0 to South Africa in the semi-finals. · With just three goals scored, this is Nigeria's lowest goal tally in any U-20 AFCON tournament where they've played at least five matches. · They've failed to score in three of five games but have kept three clean sheets and conceded only two goals – the joint-best defensive record alongside Morocco among the semi-finalists. · Nigeria are contesting their sixth third-place match, having won it four times previously – in 1995, 2009, 2013, and 2023. · They beat Mali 1-0 and 2-1 in 1995 and 2013, defeated South Africa 2-1 in 2009, and crushed Tunisia 4-0 in 2023. Their only defeat in this game came in 2019, when they lost to South Africa on penalties after a 0-0 draw. · This is Nigeria's third consecutive appearance in the third-place match. They have now reached the semi-finals in each of their last eight participations, winning the title in 2005, 2011, and 2015, finishing runners-up in 2007, third in 2009, 2013, and 2023, and fourth in 2019. · A win would mark Nigeria's 14th top-three finish, with a record of seven titles, two runner-up finishes, and four third-place results. EGYPT FACTS · Egypt arrive at the third-place play-off after losing to Morocco in the semi-finals, having edged Ghana on penalties in the quarter-finals. · Of the four semi-finalists, Egypt have conceded the most goals – seven in six matches. They've kept three clean sheets but allowed three goals across their two knockout games. · This is Egypt's fourth appearance in a third-place play-off. They have won all three of their previous matches in this fixture, beating Ethiopia 3-0 in 1993 and 2-0 in 2001, and overcoming Mali 1-0 in 2011. · Egypt have never conceded a goal in a third-place match and have scored six. · They are the fifth host nation to play in a third-place game. In the four previous instances, hosts won twice and lost twice. Nigeria beat Mali 1-0 in 1995, Egypt defeated Ethiopia 3-0 in 2001, Burkina Faso lost on penalties to Mali in 2003 after a 1-1 draw, and Benin beat Morocco on spot kicks in 2005 following a 1-1 draw. Egypt's 3-0 win over Ethiopia in 2001 remains the heaviest defeat for a host in a third-place match. · Egyptian goalkeeper Abdel Monem Tamer has made 18 saves, the second-highest total in the tournament behind South Africa's Fletcher Lowe (24). · Tamer has also conceded the most goals among all goalkeepers at the finals with seven.
CAF
16-05-2025
- Sport
- CAF
MATCH FACTS: Morocco, South Africa ready for battle in TotalEnergies CAF U20 AFCON final
South Africa and Morocco will contest the final of the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Sunday, a repeat of the 1997 decider between the two. (Kick-off 21:00 local time / 18:00 GMT). It is the second time each has reached this stage of the tournament, with Morocco, as hosts, victorious in their previous final as they beat South Africa 1-0 to claim their only title to date. South Africa have never beaten North African opposition at the tournament, losing all five encounters. In addition to the 1997 final, they have suffered four 1-0 defeats to Egypt in the group stages of 2001, 2009, 2011, and 2025. All five defeats have been by a single goal, with four ending 1-0. Morocco boast a perfect record against Southern African teams, having beaten South Africa in the 1997 final and secured group-stage wins over Lesotho (2-0) and Angola (1-0) in 2005. This is South Africa's fifth final across CAF youth and senior tournaments. They previously reached the senior finals in 1996 and 1998, defeating Tunisia and losing to Egypt, respectively. At U-20 level, they lost the 1997 final to Morocco. A win this time would make them the 12th different nation to lift the trophy and the second from Southern Africa after Zambia in 2017. It would also mark the second successive edition to crown a first-time winner, after Senegal's triumph in 2023. In fact, four of the last five winners have lifted the trophy for the first time. Both teams followed identical knockout paths to the final: extra-time wins in the quarterfinals and 1-0 victories in regulation time in the semifinals. South Africa beat DR Congo after extra time and then Nigeria, while Morocco edged Sierra Leone in extra time before defeating hosts Egypt. This is the fifth U-20 AFCON tournament hosted in North Africa since the switch to a single-format in 1991. Egypt hosted in 1991, 2023, and 2025, while Morocco and Algeria hosted in 1997 and 2013 respectively. In each of the three editions where a North African team reached the final on home soil (1991, 1997, 2013), they won the title. The 2025 final is only the second, after 1997, to feature a Southern African team against a North African team, and the first final since 1997 without a West African participant. Of the previous 24 finals, none have ended goalless. Four went to extra time, with two settled in open play – Egypt's 4-3 win over Côte d'Ivoire in 2003 and Nigeria's 3-2 win over Cameroon in 2011. Two others, in 2013 and 2019, were decided by penalties. Since 1991, 13 of 17 finals have been settled in 90 minutes. The most common scoreline in finals has been 2-0, occurring nine times. The highest-scoring final was in 2003, with seven goals. SOUTH AFRICA FACTS · South Africa reached the final after a 1-0 win over Nigeria. It is the first time they have won four matches in a single edition, including three 1-0 victories and a 4-1 win over Sierra Leone. · After failing to score in their opener, they have netted eight goals across their next five games and conceded only twice. They are unbeaten in their last five matches, having lost their opener to Egypt, and have kept three clean sheets – their joint-best tally at a single edition. · Goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe has been key, making 24 saves, the most in the tournament. · Tylon Smith's goal against Nigeria, assisted by Neo Rapoo, was his first of the tournament and South Africa's eighth. Smith is one of six different scorers for the team. · Rapoo, along with Shakeel April, has two assists and three total goal involvements. South Africa have won more duels (297 to Morocco's 266) and more tackles (64 to 53), with a better tackle success rate (71.9% to 63.9%). · Historically, South Africa had never won a knockout match in open play before this edition. Their only previous successes came in penalty shootouts – against Ghana in the 1997 semifinal and Nigeria in the 2019 third-place match. At this edition, they have won both knockout matches in regulation or extra time. MOROCCO FACTS · Morocco reached the final by defeating Kenya (3-2), drawing with Nigeria (0-0), and beating Tunisia (3-1) in the group stage. They then won 1-0 after extra time against Sierra Leone and beat Egypt 1-0 in the semifinals. · Prior to 2025, Morocco had never won a knockout match outside their home soil. · Unbeaten in their last 14 matches in open play at the U-20 AFCON (W8 D6), Morocco's last defeat in open play came in 2003, a 4-0 group-stage loss to Egypt. · All four of their past penalty shootouts have ended in defeat. This is the first time they've reached the final without a group-stage loss. · Morocco, like South Africa, have scored eight goals with six different players contributing. Jones El Abdellaoui and Yassir Zabiri lead the team with two goals each. El Abdellaoui scored the semifinal winner as a substitute – both his goals have come off the bench. · Hossam Essadak has created 11 chances, more than any other Moroccan player. · In the semifinal win over Egypt, Morocco did not face a single shot on target. They have conceded just three goals and faced 18 shots on target across five matches. · Their shot conversion rate (15.38%) slightly edges South Africa's (14.55%). Notably, six of Morocco's eight goals have come after halftime, with five in the second half and one in extra time. · They have yet to score in the opening 40 minutes of any match.
CAF
14-05-2025
- Sport
- CAF
MATCH FACTS: Morocco, Egypt clash in North African derby semi-final
Morocco and hosts Egypt meet for the seventh time in the history of the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in a North African derby semi-final at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Thursday (kick-off 21:00 local time / 18:00 GMT). Their previous encounters took place in 1981, 1985, 1993, 1997, 2003, and 2005. Morocco have one win, Egypt have two, and three matches have ended in draws. Their first meeting came in the First Round of the 1981 edition, where Morocco won 3-1 on aggregate, claiming a 2-0 home win before drawing 1-1 in Egypt. In the 1993 group stage, Egypt won 4-1, followed by a goalless draw in 1997. Egypt won again in 2003 with a 4-0 scoreline, and their most recent meeting in 2005 ended 2-2. Egypt are unbeaten in their last five finals matches against Morocco. Across their six previous encounters at the tournament finals, a total of 17 goals have been scored at an average of 2.83 per game. Egypt have scored 11 goals (1.83 per game), while Morocco have netted 6 (1 per game). This will be the first time the two nations face off in a direct knockout match. Morocco are playing against a host nation at the finals for only the second time. Their only previous encounter came against Benin in the 2005 third-place playoff, where they drew 1-1 before losing 5-3 on penalties. The teams also met in the 2024 UNAF qualifying tournament for the current finals. Morocco won 2-1 in the opening match for both teams on 14 November 2024 at the Suez Canal Stadium. Morocco finished as tournament winners, with Egypt as runners-up in the five-team round-robin event. Morocco have already defeated one North African rival in this tournament, beating Tunisia 3-1 in the group stage. They reached the semi-finals unbeaten, with a 3-2 win over Kenya, a 0-0 draw with Nigeria, a 3-1 win over Tunisia, and a 1-0 extra-time victory against Sierra Leone in the quarterfinals. MOROCCO FACTS · Morocco have qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, marking their third appearance after 1997 and 2005. This is the first time Morocco have gone four matches unbeaten in a single edition. · In 1997, they lost their third group game to Ghana before winning the semi-final against Côte d'Ivoire and the final against South Africa. · This is Morocco's fourth appearance in the semi-finals. Their record in this stage, including matches decided on penalties, stands at one win and two losses. They are seeking to reach the final for only the second time, having won the tournament on home soil in 1997. A win would mark their first final outside Morocco. · Their previous semi-final appearances include a 2-1 aggregate loss to Togo in 1987 (1-0 win at home, 2-0 loss away), a 2-1 win over Côte d'Ivoire in 1997, and a 2-2 draw against Nigeria in 2005, which they lost 5-3 on penalties. · Morocco have now won three matches in open play at this edition – the first time they've achieved that since 1997. A fourth win would mark a new record for them in a single edition. · Since 1993, Morocco have played in two quarterfinals and two semi-finals in direct knockout matches. They've recorded two wins (2-1 vs Côte d'Ivoire in 1997 and 1-0 vs Sierra Leone in 2025) and two penalty shootout losses (vs Nigeria in 2005 and Tunisia in 2021). · Including their 1997 final win over South Africa and a 2005 third-place shootout loss to Nigeria, Morocco have played six knockout matches since 1993, winning three in open play and losing three on penalties. They have never lost a knockout match in open play. · Morocco have participated in four penalty shootouts at the finals, losing all of them: vs Tunisia (1981), Nigeria and Benin (2005), and Tunisia again (2021). · Against Sierra Leone, Morocco had six shots on target. In their 3-1 win over Tunisia, they registered seven. However, they had no shots on target against Nigeria. · All seven of Morocco's goals in this tournament have come after the 40th minute. Two were scored in the final five minutes of the first half, four in the second half, and one in extra time. · Hossam Essadak leads the team in chance creation with 11, the most by any Moroccan player. · Morocco have had 22 shots on target, the most of any semi-finalist, and boast the best shot conversion rate among the final four at 16.28%. · They have completed 1,334 passes – second only to South Africa – and lead in successful crosses with 14. EGYPT FACTS · Egypt began their campaign with a 1-0 win over South Africa, followed by a heavy 4-0 loss to Sierra Leone and a goalless draw with Zambia. In the quarterfinals, they beat Tanzania 1-0, then drew 2-2 with Ghana before winning on penalties. · Their progression secures a ninth appearance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Egypt are aiming for a sixth final, having previously reached the title match in 1981, 1991, 2003, 2005, and 2013. · A win would see them reach their second final on home soil (after 1991) and their third final hosted in North Africa (including Algeria in 2013). · This is Egypt's eighth semi-final and their second at home. In 1991, they defeated Ghana 1-0 en route to winning the tournament. If Egypt reach the final, they will become the eighth host nation to do so and the first since Zambia in 2017. · The last three host nations to reach the semi-finals – Zambia (2017), Senegal (2015), and Congo (2007) – all progressed to the final. Benin in 2005 were the last hosts to lose at this stage. · Since 1991, host nations have reached the semi-finals 11 times, and in 10 previous instances, the hosts progressed to the final six times and were eliminated four times. · Hosts to reach the final include Egypt (1991), Morocco (1997), Ghana (1999), Congo (2007), Senegal (2015), and Zambia (2017). Hosts who lost in the semi-finals include Nigeria (1995), Ethiopia (2001), Burkina Faso (2003), and Benin (2005). · Among the semi-finalists, Egypt have conceded the most goals (six). They have scored five, more than only Nigeria (three). · Four of Egypt's goals came in the first half, with their only second-half goal scored by Mohamed El Hadad in the 62nd minute of their opener against South Africa. · Conversely, five of the six goals Egypt have conceded came in the second half. The only first-half goal conceded was Ghana's opener in first-half stoppage time in the quarterfinals. · Egypt have twice surrendered leads in the current tournament. They led Sierra Leone 1-0 before losing 4-1, and against Ghana they led 2-0 before being pegged back to 2-2. They eventually triumphed on penalties. · Egypt have a shot conversion rate of 10%, higher only than Nigeria's 6.98% among the semi-finalists. · However, they lead in tackle success rate at 76.7% and have won 247 duels – the most of any semi-finalist. · Goalkeeper Abdel Monem Tamer has kept three clean sheets, tied for the most in the tournament, though he has played one game more than his counterparts. · In direct knockout games since 1991, Egypt have played seven, winning five and losing two, both on penalties. · Their victories include 1-0 wins over Ghana (1991) and Mali (2003), a penalty shootout win over Benin (2005), a 2-0 win over Nigeria (2013), and the recent penalty shootout victory against Ghana in 2025. · Their losses came in the 2001 and 2011 semi-finals, both via shootouts – against Ghana (1-1, lost 6-5) and Cameroon (0-0, lost 4-2). Egypt have not lost a direct knockout match in open play at the finals since 1991. · Egypt have participated in five penalty shootouts since 1991, with three wins and two losses. Three of those shootouts have been against Ghana. · They lost the 2001 semi-final (1-1, lost 6-5), won the 2005 semi-final (1-1, won 3-1), lost to Cameroon in 2011 (0-0, lost 4-2), and won the 2013 final (1-1, won 5-4). At the current tournament, they again defeated Ghana on penalties (2-2, won 5-4).
