2021_CECAFA_U-23_Challenge_Cup
2021 CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup
International football competition
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).
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | Ethiopia |
| Dates | 17–30 July 2021 |
| Teams | 9 (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 played | 13 |
| Goals scored | 24 (1.85 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Ali Suleiman Ibrahim(4 goals)[1] |
← 2019 2023 → | |
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]
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 |
All matches are played at Bahir Dar International Stadium located in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
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]
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
- 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)
- Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- 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;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
- 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);
- 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 |
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 |
| Burundi | 3–0 | Eritrea |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
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 |
| Djibouti | 0–3 | Kenya |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
- In the knockout stage, extra-time and a penalty shoot-out will be used to decide the winner if necessary.
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 27 July – Bahir Dar | ||||||
| Tanzania | 1 | |||||
| 30 July – Bahir Dar | ||||||
| South Sudan | 0 | |||||
| Tanzania (pen.) | 0 (6) | |||||
| 27 July – Bahir Dar | ||||||
| Burundi | 0 (5) | |||||
| Burundi (pen.) | 0 (4) | |||||
| Kenya | 0 (2) | |||||
| Third place match | ||||||
| 29 July– Bahir Dar | ||||||
| South Sudan | 1 | |||||
| Kenya | 0 | |||||
Goalscorers
There were 23 goals scored in 13 matches, for an average of 1.77 goals per match.
4 goals
2 goals
Issa Hakizimana
Abubeker Nasir Ahmed
1 goal
- Chernet Gugsa
- Willam Solomo
Njuguna Collins- Otieno Reagan
- Oluoch Ochieng
Relliant Lusajo- Ismael Nsihimirimana
- Abdourahmani Rukundo
- Steven Mukwala
Brynson Raphael
Mabior Akeck Aluk- Dominic Angelo Kornelio
- Kevin Naftal
- Dani Kumanock
- "Eritrea's Suleiman Ibrahim celebrates CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup top scorers Award". CECAFA. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- "Host for CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup Named". The Sports Nation. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- "CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup 2021:Uganda names Provisional Squad-FUFA". Federation of Uganda Football Association. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- "CECAFA Cup 2021". ZA Soccerway. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- "CECAFA to allow three over age players for U-23 Challenge Cup in Ethiopia". Cecafa Online. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- "Uganda claimed champion of CECAFA Cup 2019". ZA Soccerway. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- "2021 CECAFA U-23 Challenge Cup: DR Congo invited as guest country". Kawowo Sports. 15 June 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
- "FIFA International Men's Teams Rankings". FIFA.com. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
- "CECAFA U-23 draw set". Cecafaonline. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.