There is increasing hype in Ghana as the nation is hosting the CAF African Schools Football Championship 2025 Continental Finals from April 21 to April 26 at the top-notch University of Ghana Stadium in Accra.
It is a first, since the final leg of the competition is being staged in West Africa for the very first time, following its previous staging in South Africa (2023) and Tanzania (2024).
The competition, initiated in 2022 by CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe, has quickly become Africa’s largest youth football competition.
Over 1.9 million young players from 46 nations participated, and it is a key plank in CAF’s ambition to develop African football from the grassroots up.
The prize money, which is funded by the Motsepe Foundation’s $10 million donation, will be used to support legacy projects at the host schools, including infrastructure, libraries, and community development projects.
The first prize will be $300,000, the second prize will be $200,000, and the third prize will be $150,000.
The competition will feature 12 teams – six boys and six girls – representing all of Africa, each having qualified through grueling zonal qualifiers held between October 2024 and January 2025.
Qualified Teams:
Hosts: Ghana (Boys & Girls)
CECAFA: Uganda (Girls), Uganda & Tanzania (Boys)
COSAFA: South Africa & Malawi (Girls), South Africa (Boys)
UNAF: Morocco (Girls), Algeria (Boys)
UNIFFAC: DR Congo (Boys & Girls)
WAFU A: Gambia (Girls), Senegal (Boys)
WAFU B: Benin (Girls), Côte d’Ivoire (Boys)
In addition to the games, CAF has also developed an extensive capacity-building program to benefit young players, coaches, and teachers. They will benefit from:
CAF D License Coaching Course
CAF Safeguarding Workshops
Safety and Security Workshops
Young Medical Officers Programme
Young Referee Programme
Young Reporters Programme
TThe University of Ghana Stadium, with a seating capacity of 10,000, constructed specifically to host the 2023 African Games, will be where the tournament will be held.
It has world-class facilities as well as advanced off-pitch facilities, poised to provide the ideal setting for competition and education.
As Ghana prepares to stage Africa’s cream-of-the-crop young footballers, not only does the tournament promise superlative intense competition but, through its enduring legacy, develop grassroots football throughout the continent long into the future.
