Confusion has engulfed African football as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) remains silent on the allocation of ten slots for the continent in the upcoming FIFA U17 World Cup, reports BSNSports.com.ng.

Following its congress, FIFA announced that the next FIFA U17 World Cup in 2025 will feature 48 countries, increasing Africa’s slots from four to ten. However, CAF has yet to clarify how the ten participating countries will be selected.

In the recent WAFU B U-17 tournament, host Ghana and defending champions Nigeria were defeated in the semi-finals by Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, respectively. Previously, only four teams from the CAF U17 African Nations Cup would qualify for the World Cup. With the new allocation, there is confusion among African football associations and fans about the qualification process from regional U17 competitions.

An exclusive interview with a senior official from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Sunday morning revealed uncertainty about Nigeria’s participation in the 2025 U17 AFCON. “Despite FIFA’s allocation of ten slots to Africa, CAF has not explained how these ten teams will be selected. Since the Golden Eaglets did not qualify for the final of the WAFU B U-17 competition, we are uncertain whether we will play at the CAF U17 AFCON,” the anonymous NFF official stated.