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‘We have what it takes to win’: Coach Babu talks up Kenya’s chances in U-20 Afcon

Salim Babu

Kenya Under 20 national team head coach Salim Babu monitors his players during a training session at M-Pesa Foundation Academy in Thika on April 14, 2025.



Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group

By  Victor Otieno

Reporter

NMG Sport

What you need to know:

  • The team will travel to Cairo on Monday for the tournament scheduled for April 27 to May 18, 2025 in Egypt.
  • The top two teams in the three groups and the two best third-placed teams will progress to the quarter-finals.

Kenya Under-20 men’s football team coach, Salim Babu, believes his charges will compete on level terms at the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals that start this week in Cairo.

Coach Babu said the team is oozing quality, and the players are in the right frame of mind for the tournament. 

“This is a well-rounded and strong squad. I believe the boys have what it takes to compete at the highest level, and to offer great competition at the Under-20 Afcon. We are not going just to participate, we are going to make our mark,” said Babu.

Related

The team will travel to Cairo on Monday for the 2025 Under-20 Afcon finals scheduled for April 27 to May 18 in the north African nation.

Initially, Kenya nicknamed the ‘Rising Stars,’ were supposed to travel to Morocco for a 10-day training camp before heading to Egypt for the 13-team football tournament.

Read: Kenya U-20 team unfazed by talk of 'group of death' at Under-20 Afcon

However, the plan was shelved after a fresh draw placed Kenya and Morocco in Group “B” alongside record seven-time champions Nigeria and Tunisia.

Kenya’s 26-man squad will now finalise its preparations in Egypt before starting their campaign against Morocco on May 1 at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo from 10 pm East Africa Time (EAT).

The 'Rising Stars' will next face Tunisia at the same venue on May 4 from 7pm EAT before winding up their group fixture against Nigeria on May 7 at the same venue from the same time.

Group “A” consists of four-time champions Egypt, former winners Zambia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Tanzania while defending champions Senegal, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, and four-time winners Ghana are the teams in Group “C”.

The top two teams in the three groups and the two best third-placed teams will progress to the quarter-finals stage.

Read: Kenya in ‘group of death’ for Under-20 Afcon tournament

All the semi-finalists will qualify for the 2025 Fifa Under-20 World Cup which will be staged in Chile from September 27 to October 19. Kenya will be making their second appearance in the tournament after their debut in 1979 when it was referred to as the African Youth Championship.

Kenya’s campaign in that edition ended in the preliminary round where they lost 4-2 on aggregate to Ethiopia.

The ‘Rising Stars’ qualified for the Under-20 Afcon finals by finishing second in the Cecafa Under-20 regional qualifiers held in October last year in Dar es Salaam.

Kenya has been training for Under-20 Afcon finals since mid-February. The team has played many friendly matches against FKF-Premier League matches. 

Speaking on Tuesday at State House, Nairobi, when he handed the national flag to the ‘Rising Stars’, President William Ruto urged the team to strive to qualify for the final of the tournament, and promised to fly to Cairo to cheer them on if they achieve that feat. 

“If you play in the finals I will come to cheer you up so give your best,” President Ruto said.