2021 CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup
Tournament details
Host countryEthiopia
Dates17–30 July 2021
Teams9 (from 1 sub-confederation)
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions Tanzania
Runners-up Burundi
Third place South Sudan
Fourth place Kenya
Tournament statistics
Matches played13
Goals scored24 (1.85 per match)
Top scorer(s)Eritrea Ali Suleiman Ibrahim
(4 goals)[1]
← 2019
2023 →

The 2021 CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup was 41st edition of the annual CECAFA Cup, an international football competition consisting of the national U-23 teams of member nations of the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (CECAFA).

This year's tournament was reserved for U23 players but teams were allowed to field up to three players over 23.

It took place in Ethiopia from 17 July to 30 July 2021.[2][3][4][5]

Uganda were the defending having won title in 2019.[6] The Democratic Republic of the Congo participated as an invited team.[7]

Participants

The FIFA World Ranking of participating Men's national football team as of 27 May 2021.[8]

Country Appearance Previous best performance FIFA ranking
27 May 2021
 Burundi 23rd Runner-Up (1990, 2013) 142
 DR Congo Debut (Invited) None 94
 Djibouti 13th Group Stages 183
 Eritrea 13th Runner-Up (2019) 203
 Ethiopia (Host) 34th Champions (1987, 2001, 2004, 2005) 140
 Kenya 37th Champions (1995) 102
 South Sudan 5th Quarter-finals 169
 Tanzania 62nd Champions (1995, 2010) 137
 Uganda 61st Champions (1973, 1976, 1977, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015) 84

Venue

All matches are played at Bahir Dar International Stadium located in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.

Bahir Dar
Bahir Dar International Stadium
Capacity: 60,000

Match officials

Draw

The draw ceremony of the tournament took place on 13 July 2021 15:00 local time in Addis Ababa. Nine teams were divided into 3 groups. The top finisher in each group and the best second-placed finisher will qualify for the Semi-finals.[9]

Groupings

Group A Group B Group C

 Uganda
 Tanzania
 DR Congo

 Burundi
 Ethiopia
 Eritrea

 Kenya
 South Sudan
 Djibouti

Group stage

Tiebreakers

Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings (Regulations Article 9.3)

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.
Key to colour in group tables
The top finisher in each group and the best second-placed finisher will qualify for the Semi-finals

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Tanzania 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 4 Advanced to Semi-finals
2  Uganda 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 2
3  DR Congo 2 0 1 1 0 1 −1 1
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Uganda 0–0 DR Congo
Report
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Teklu Mogos Tsegay (Eritrea)
Tanzania 1–0 DR Congo
  • Lusajo 66'
 Report
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Haileyesus Bazezew Belete (Ethiopia)
Uganda 1–1 Tanzania
 Report
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Saddam Houssein Mansour (Djibouti)

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Burundi 2 1 1 0 4 1 +3 4 Advanced to Semi-finals
2  Ethiopia (H) 2 0 2 0 4 4 0 2
3  Eritrea 2 0 1 1 3 6 −3 1
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Ethiopia 3–3 Eritrea
 Report
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Ronald Madanda (Uganda)
Burundi 3–0 Eritrea
 Report
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Ring Malong (South Sudan)
Ethiopia 1–1 Burundi
Gugesa 44' Report Hakzimana 66'
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Dickens Mimisa Nyagrowa (Kenya)

Group C

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Kenya 2 2 0 0 5 0 +5 6 Advance to Semi-finals
2  South Sudan 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 3 Qualified as a Best Runner up
3  Djibouti 2 0 0 2 0 5 −5 0
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Djibouti 0–3 Kenya
Report
  • Collins 11'
  • Otieno 63'
  • Ochieng 88'
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Yannick Malala Kabanga (DR Congo)
South Sudan 0–2 Kenya
Report
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Thierry Nkurunziza (Burundi)
Djibouti 0–2 South Sudan
Report
  • Aluk 87'
  • Kornelio 90+5' (pen.)
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Ramadhan Kayoko (Tanzania)

Knockout stage

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
27 July – Bahir Dar
 
 
 Tanzania1
 
30 July – Bahir Dar
 
 South Sudan0
 
 Tanzania (pen.)0 (6)
 
27 July – Bahir Dar
 
 Burundi0 (5)
 
 Burundi (pen.)0 (4)
 
 
 Kenya0 (2)
 
Third place match
 
 
29 July– Bahir Dar
 
 
 South Sudan1
 
 
 Kenya0

Semi-finals

Tanzania 1–0 South Sudan
Naftal 65' Report
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Haileyesus Bazezew Belete (Ethiopia)
Burundi 0–0 Kenya
Report
Penalties
4–2
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Ronald Madanda (Uganda)

Third place match

South Sudan 1–0 Kenya
Gumanock 78' Report
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Teklu Mogos Tsegay (Eritrea)

Final

Tanzania 0–0 Burundi
Report
Penalties
6–5
Bahir Dar International Stadium, Bahir Dar
Referee: Saddam Houssein Mansour (Djibouti)

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 23 goals scored in 13 matches, for an average of 1.77 goals per match.

4 goals

2 goals

1 goal

References

  1. ^ "Eritrea's Suleiman Ibrahim celebrates CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup top scorers Award". CECAFA. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Host for CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup Named". The Sports Nation. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  3. ^ "CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup 2021:Uganda names Provisional Squad-FUFA". Federation of Uganda Football Association. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  4. ^ "CECAFA Cup 2021". ZA Soccerway. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  5. ^ "CECAFA to allow three over age players for U-23 Challenge Cup in Ethiopia". Cecafa Online. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Uganda claimed champion of CECAFA Cup 2019". ZA Soccerway. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  7. ^ "2021 CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup: DR Congo invited as guest country". Kawowo Sports. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  8. ^ "FIFA International Men's Teams Rankings". FIFA.com. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  9. ^ "CECAFA U-23 draw set". Cecafaonline. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
Categories