2015 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualification
The 2015 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualification was a men's under-23 football competition which decided the participating teams of the 2015 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations. Players born on or after 1 January 1993 were eligible to compete in the tournament.
A total of eight teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including Senegal who qualified automatically as hosts.
The top three teams of the final tournament will qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics men's football tournament in Brazil.
Teams
A total of 26 CAF member national teams entered the qualifying rounds.Round | Teams entering round | No. of teams |
First round | 10 | |
Second round | 9 | |
Third round | 7 | |
Qualifying rounds | Total | 26 |
Final tournament | [|1] |
Did not enter |
;Notes
- The final tournament was originally to be hosted by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After Senegal replaced them as hosts, the CAF released an updated version of the draw. In the initial draw, Zimbabwe and Swaziland were to play each other in the first round, where the winner would play South Africa in the second round, where the winner would play Senegal in the third round. In the updated draw, Zimbabwe and Swaziland play each other in the second round, where the winner play South Africa in the third round.
- Namibia's U23 team manager Jakes Amaning said the Namibia Football Association did apply to take part in the tournament, but due to unforeseen circumstances its name did not appear in the CAF draw. The Confederation of African Football have said the Namibian application may not have been received due to a "technical error". Although the draw took place on 20 September 2014, FIFA have set a deadline of 25 October for applicants.
Format
The seven winners of the third round qualified for the final tournament.
Schedule
The schedule of the qualifying rounds was as follows.Round | Leg | Date |
First round | First leg | 24–26 April 2015 |
First round | Second leg | 8–10 May 2015 |
Second round | First leg | 22–24 May 2015 |
Second round | Second leg | 29–31 May 2015 |
Third round | First leg | 17–19 July 2015 |
Third round | Second leg | 31 July–2 August 2015 |
First round
Second round
Third round
Winners qualified for 2015 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations.Qualified teams
The following eight teams qualified for the final tournament.Team | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament1 |
Goalscorers
;4 goals;3 goals
;2 goals
;1 goal
- Onkabetse Makgantai
- Unobatsha Mbaiwa
- Joseph Minala
- Silvère Ganvoula M'boussy
- Moise Nkounkou
- Mohamed Salem
- Ramadan Sobhi
- Kennedy Ashia
- Ebo Andoh
- Richard Gadze
- Baba Mensah
- Tamimu Montari
- John Ndirangu
- Van Dave Harmond
- Moctar Cissé
- Adama Traoré
- Boubacar Bagili
- Mamadou Niass
- Achraf Bencharki
- Isaïe Songa
- Yannick Mukunzi
- Kevin Muhire
- Dominique Savio Nshuti
- Ibrahim Sorie Barrie
- Abbas Mohammed
- Gift Motupa
- Muzi Dlamini
- Mxolisi Mkhontfo
- Ghailene Chaalali
- Haythem Jouini
- Slimane Kchok
- Yassine Meriah
- Edem Rjaïbi
- Muzamir Mutyaba
- John Ssemazi
- Jackson Chirwa
- Ronald Kampamba
- Kelvin Mubanga
- Tino Kadewere
- Walter Musona
- Ronald Pfumbidzai