U20 AFCON : Ghana vs DR Congo Preview
Ghana’s U-20 national team, the Black Satellites, will tonight begin their campaign at the 2025 TotalEnergies CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations with a high-stakes Group C opener against DR Congo at the New Suez Stadium in Egypt.
Led by head coach Desmond Offei, Ghana enters the competition as a traditional powerhouse in African youth football and carries the weight of expectations to reclaim continental dominance and secure a place at the FIFA U20 World Cup later this year in Chile.
Ghana, four-time U20 AFCON champions and Africa’s only winner of the FIFA U20 World Cup (Egypt 2009), are targeting a fifth continental title. The Black Satellites have been drawn in a challenging Group C alongside defending champions Senegal, DR Congo, and the Central African Republic, with only the top two teams advancing to the quarterfinals.
Friday’s encounter against DR Congo is crucial for Ghana’s campaign, as an early win would set the tone for the rest of the tournament. The team finalized its 23-man squad just before the opener, selecting a mix of home-based and foreign-based talents expected to shine on the continental stage.
Though DR Congo has not enjoyed the same historical success, the Leopards are regarded as a physically imposing and tactically unpredictable side—qualities that could test Ghana’s mettle in the tournament curtain-raiser.
With DR Congo determined to make an impression and Ghana seeking to reassert its dominance, the match is poised to be a fiercely contested battle.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM local time at the New Suez Stadium.
