This article details the qualification schedule and matches for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations.
Players born 1 January 2001 or later were eligible to participate in the competition. A total of 8 teams, including automatically qualified hosts Morocco, qualified to play in the group stages of this edition of the tournament, which also doubled as the first stage of the African qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics men's football tournament in France.
Apart from Morocco, the remaining 53 CAF members were eligible to enter qualification and a total of 38 national teams entered its draw which was announced on 18 August 2022.[1] Eighteen best teams from the previous edition and its qualification procedures were given a bye to the second round.
Qualification ties were played on a home-and-away, two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, away goals rule was applied and if still tied, penalty shoot-out (no extra time) was used to determine the winner.
All matches were played during the FIFA International Window and its schedules were as follows:[2]
Niger won 4–2 on aggregate.
Tanzania won 3–3 on aggregate via the away goals rule.
Eswatini won 3–2 on aggregate.
Togo won 2–1 on aggregate.
DR Congo won 1–0 on aggregate, but later got disqualified and had its result forfeited for fielding ineligible players. Although Ethiopia advanced to the final round, they chose not to compete and thus Algeria advanced in their place.
Mozambique won 5–1 on aggregate.
Burkina Faso won 2–2 on aggregate via the away goals rule.
Rwanda won 4–4 on aggregate via the away goals rule.
Madagascar won 12–1 on aggregate.
Angola won 8–1 on aggregate.
Notes:
Niger won 1–1 on aggregate via the away goals rule.
Sudan won 3–3 on aggregate via the away goals rule.
Nigeria won 3–1 on aggregate.
Egypt won 1–0 on aggregate.
Zambia won 2–1 on aggregate.
South Africa on 2–2 on aggregate via the away goals rule.
Congo won 2–2 on aggregate via the away goals rule.
DR Congo won 5–4 on aggregate but was later disqualified, thus Algeria advanced to the final round.
Ghana won 4–1 on aggregate.
Senegal won 5–3 on penalties and advanced to the final round.
Mali won 2–1 on aggregate.
Gabon won 5–0 on aggregate.
Cameroon won 3–2 on aggregate.
Winners qualified for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations.
Niger won 2–1 on aggregate.
Guinea won 2–0 on aggregate.
Egypt won 2–0 on aggregate.
Congo won 1–1 on aggregate via the away goals rule.
Ghana won 2–1 on aggregate.
Mali won 4–3 on aggregate.
Gabon won 7–6 on penalties after a 1–1 draw on aggregate.
The following eight teams qualified for the 2023 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations.[15]
There were 133 goals scored in 60 matches, for an average of 2.22 goals per match.
4 goals
3 goals
Chemseddine Bekkouche
Daniel Afriyie
El Hadari Raheriniaina2 goals
Mohamed Islam Belkhir
Bito Capita Zini
Ivan Ndjantou
Gloire Bassinga
Jonathan Ikangalombo
Emmanuel Ovono Abdul Fatawu Issahaku
Mamadi Camará
Nour al-Din Al-Qulaib
Zidane Sidat
Salam Boulhassane
Success Makanjuola
Clément Niyigena
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Kevin Laba1 goal
Benarfa Benvindo Afonso Picas Melono Dala
Boladji Abdou Gaël Dassi Soumaïla Hounkpè
Tawana Mbakile Tefo Molefe
Kouamé Botué Cyrille Dao Etienne Eto'o Djawal Kaiba Love Bissila John Bakata Akram Bongonga Gloire Mujaya Patient Mwamba
Ibrahim Adel Abdelrahman Atef Osama Faisal
Bongiswa Dlamini Neliswa Dlamini Sambulo Simelane Ben Kabinambele Hants Mbenga Jeremie Moussango Yohann Nkoghe
Mamadou Bâ Momodou Bojang Sylvester Simba
Algassime Bah Alseny Soumah
Seydou Traoré Fadel Salama Ali Yousef Joël Jinidy Kalvin Paul Lalane Randrianandrasana Claude Ratsimbazafy
Hamidou Diallo Thiemoko Diarra Ahmed Diomandé Kamory Doumbia Mamadou Sangare Kalifa Traoré
Sidi Ahmed Mohamed El Abd
David Aristide Gaby Ivan Gianluca Lorenzoni Horácio Vilanculos
Gonzales Tsuseb Abdoul Rachid Amoumane Abiodun Ogunniyi Ashraf Kamanzi Prince Rudasingwa
Mamadou Lamine Camara Ibrahima Dramé Abdallah Sima
Affandi Aboudou
Alie Conteh
Ashley Cupido Thapelo Maseko Antonio van Wyk
Rahan Angier Dani Lual Joseph Malish
Ali Abdalah John Manu Al-Jezoli Nouh Kelvin John Abdul Sopu Bruno Avotor Aboudou Wetchire
Adem Garreb Hamdi Labidi
Joshua Mutale Andrew Phiri1 own goal
Pamphile Winsavi (against Sudan) Yoro Mamadou Diaby (against Rwanda) Graham Fauré (against Madagascar)Young Africans trounced South Sudanese side Zalan Rumbek 4-0 in a match switched to Tanzania because their rivals do not have an international-standard stadium.
Currently, Burkinabé teams are unable to host continental matches on home soil as national facilities are being renovated to meet the required standards set by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).
There is no suitable stadium on the Indian Ocean island...
