U20 AFCON: Final spots at stake as Nigeria & SA collide

by Austin Ditlhobolo

Thursday May 15, 2025. 11:00

Thursday’s 2025 CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-final action will be headlined by a clash between Nigeria and South Africa.

The two rivals are set to meet at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia with a spot in Sunday’s final at the iconic Cairo International Stadium at stake.

Nigeria – who are record seven-time winners of the U20 AFCON title, defeated reigning champions Senegal 3-1 on penalties following a 0-0 draw in a quarter-final clash on Monday.

South Africa, on the other hand, edged out DR Congo 1-0 thanks to super-sub Thabang Mahlangu’s late goal in extra-time in Monday’s tightly contested quarter-final.

Meanwhile, there will be a North African derby clash when hosts, Egypt, lock horns with Morocco at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo in another semi-final encounter.

Egypt reached this stage after defeating Ghana 5-4 on penalties after a 2-2 draw on Monday, while an Amara Keita own-goal earned Morocco a 1-0 win over Sierra Leone on the same day.

All four semi-finalists have qualified for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Chile and the third-place playoff match will be played at the 30 June Stadium on Sunday.

Thursday’s U20 AFCON fixtures

Kick-off times in CAT

17h00: South Africa v Nigeria

20h00: Egypt vs Morocco