| كأس أمم إفريقيا تحت 20 سنة 2021 Coupe d'Afrique des Nations des U-20 2021 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Mauritania |
| Dates | 14 February – 6 March[1] |
| Teams | 12 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Ghana (4th title) |
| Runners-up |  Uganda |
| Third place |  Gambia |
| Fourth place |  Tunisia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 26 |
| Goals scored | 52 (2 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Derrick Kakooza (5 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Abdul Fatawu |
| Fair play award | Uganda |
The 2021 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations was the 16th edition (23rd edition if editions of the tournament without hosts are included), the biennial international youth football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for players aged 20 and below. In September 2018, it was decided that the tournament would be hosted by Mauritania.[2][3][4][5] This would be the first edition of the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations to be expanded to 12 teams instead of eight.[6] The top four teams of the tournament would have normally qualified for the 2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia as the CAF representatives. However, FIFA decided to cancel the tournament on 24 December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
The defending champions Mali failed to qualify. Ghana won their fourth title by defeating debutant Uganda in the final.
- ^ "2020 – 2021 IC Season (Final)" (PDF). Confederation of African Football.
- ^ "Can U20 2019: Mauritania officially responsible for organizing the competition". Uneath. 18 February 2019.
- ^ "CAN 2019 : un dernier sursis pour le Cameroun ?" (in French). CamFoot. 29 September 2018.
- ^ "Mauritania hosts the 2021 Afcon U20". FFRIM official website. 17 February 2019.
- ^ "Decisions of CAF Executive Commitee [sic] – 27 & 28 September 2018". CAF. 29 September 2018.
- ^ "CAF Holds Executive Committee Meeting ahead of CAN Total U-23 Final". CAFOnline.com. CAF-Confedération Africaine du Football. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- ^ "Update on FIFA Women's World Cup and men's youth competitions".