The semi-finalists in the African Youth Championship, currently underway in Algeria with the final scheduled for 30 March, are the four teams who will represent the Confederation of African Football (CAF) at the tournament.
Egypt were the first African team to qualify for the finals, booking their place in the semi-finals of CAF U-20 Championship on Tuesday. Having already beaten Ghana 2-1 in their first group game, a 1-0 win over tournament hosts Algeria was enough to take the Pharaohs through to the last four, with midfielder Ramy Rabiaa heading the game’s decisive goal.
On Wednesday afternoon Mali became the second African team to qualify for Turkey 2013 after beating Congo DR 2-1 in their second Group B match. The victory takes Mali to six points and they can no longer finish lower than second place in their group.
On the third and last matchday of Group A, Ghana beat the hosts 2-0 and ended the group stage in second place with six points. Ghana have therefore booked their place in the semi-final and a ticket to the global showdown in the summer.
Nigeria then became the fourth and final African team to qualify for Turkey 2013 on Saturday, beating the DR Congo 3-1 in their final Group B match at the regional championships. The six time African champions, who lost in the final of the 1989 and 2005 U-20 World Cup, will face Egypt in one semi-final, while Ghana take on Mali in the other.
This coming Monday evening, the focus of attention for the global footballing family turns to Istanbul, as the Turkish metropolis hosts the eagerly-awaited group stage draw for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2013. Exactly 88 days before the tournament kicks off, the competing teams will finally learn who they must overcome in their quest to claim the most prestigious prize in youth football.
The 19th edition of the highly anticipated FIFA tournament takes place between 21 June and 13 July this summer. A starting field of 24 teams will contest a total of 52 matches in the seven host cities of Antalya, Bursa, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Kayseri, Rize and Trabzon.
The eventual winners will succeed Brazil as world champions, as the winners of the last FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia two years ago surprisingly failed to qualify for this summer’s showdown in Turkey.
For more on the world game go to www.fifa.com

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