U20 AFCON: Kenya Rising Stars shelve Morocco trip, to travel straight to Egypt
- Dennis Kegengo
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Photo Credit - FKF Media.
Kenya men’s national U20 team Rising Stars have cancelled their eagerly awaited trip to Morocco for a 10-day pre-camp training ahead of the upcoming U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) set to run from April 27 to May 18, 2025, in Egypt.
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) had earlier planned for the team under coach Salim Babu to pitch camp in the North African for acclimatization and training purposes before heading to Cairo for the tournament, which they will be gracing for the first time.
However, FKF issued a statement confirming the team will now head straight to Egypt in readiness for the tournament. A statement from FKF read in part: “The Kenya U20 Men’s national team, popularly known as the Rising Stars, will now travel directly to Cairo, Egypt, on Monday 21st April 2025 ahead of the upcoming U20 Africa Cup of Nations.
“This follows a change in the team’s preparation schedule, with the initial plan to hold a training camp in Morocco being shelved. The adjustment comes after the latest tournament draw placed Kenya in Group B alongside Morocco, Tunisia, and Nigeria—making a pre-tournament stay in Morocco strategically unviable.
“The team will now finalise its preparations in Egypt before kicking off their campaign on Thursday, 1st May 2025 at 10:00 PM EAT, with a clash against Morocco at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo. Their second group match is scheduled for Sunday, 4th May 2025 at 7:00 PM EAT, where they will take on Tunisia, also at the 30 June Stadium.
“The Rising Stars will wrap up their group stage fixtures with a match against Nigeria on Wednesday, 7th May 2025 at 7:00 PM EAT, again at the same Cairo venue.”
Rising Stars secured their spot through the CECAFA qualifiers and are now gearing up to compete among Africa’s elite youth sides. The tournament will feature 13 nations battling for continental supremacy and four qualification spots to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile 2025.
The top two teams from each pool, along with the two best third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals, with the tournament concluding on May 18th, 2025.
