The Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) has confirmed Ghana as the host country for the Continental Finals of the CAF African Schools Football Championship 2025. The tournament is scheduled to take place from April 21 to 26, 2025. The Continental Finals will be held at the University of Ghana’s Legon Sports Stadium in Accra, marking the first time the tournament’s continental finals will be held in West Africa.
Previous editions of the tournament were held in Southern Africa (South Africa 2023) and East Africa (Tanzania 2024). The CAF African Schools Football Championship was launched by CAF President Dr. Patrice Motsepe in April 2022 in Maputo, Mozambique.
Since its inception, the program has seen over 1,965,000 boys and girls from 46 countries participate, making it the most successful youth sports mobilization movement in Africa. In partnership with the Motsepe Foundation, which donated $10 million, CAF has used the prize money for legacy projects in schools, including renovations, building libraries, infrastructure development, and other community-related developments.
The winner of the tournament will receive $300,000, while the runner-up will receive $200,000, and the second runner-up will receive $150,000. A total of 46 countries registered to participate in the 2024/25 season, fielding their national school teams in the Zonal Qualifiers, which took place between October 2024 and January 2025.
The winners from the CAF’s six zones, along with the winning boys’ and girls’ teams from the 2023/24 finals, will join the host country, Ghana, for the Continental Finals.
“We are excited for the upcoming CAF African Schools Football Championship in Ghana, a landmark event that continues to inspire young talent across Africa,” said CAF Director of Member Associations, Sarah Mukuna. “With partners like CANAL+ on board, we are elevating this competition to new heights. Their support strengthens our mission to develop the next generation of football stars while fostering education, skills, and opportunities for young players.”
In addition to providing a platform for youngsters to compete internationally, the competition also offers a parallel capacity-building program. This program provides unique capacity-building skills for youngsters, coaches, and educators, including:
- CAF D License
- CAF Safeguarding workshops
- Coaching Course
- Safety and Security workshops
- Young Medical Officers Programme
- Young Referee Programme
- Young Reporters Programme
The matches are scheduled to be played at the magnificent 10,000-seater Legon Sports Stadium, which was completed for the 2023 African Games. The venue boasts excellent off-pitch facilities, which will accommodate the numerous crucial capacity-building programs that CAF will stage on the sidelines of the Championship.
Qualified teams for the CAF African Schools Football Championship Continental Finals 2024-25 include:
HOSTS:
Girls: Ghana
Boys: Ghana
UNAF:
Girls: Morocco
Boys: Algeria
UNIFFAC:
Girls: DR Congo
Boys: DR Congo
COSAFA:
Girls: South Africa (holders), Malawi (COSAFA runners-up)
Boys: South Africa
CECAFA:
Girls: Uganda
Boys: Tanzania (holders), Uganda (CECAFA runners-up)
WAFU A:
Girls: Gambia
Boys: Senegal
WAFU B:
Girls: Benin (runners-up to host Ghana)
Boys: Cote d’Ivoire
