CAF Unveils Schedule for 2016 African Nations Under-23 Championship Qualifiers
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced the qualifying schedule for the 2016 African Nations Under-23 Championship (CHAN U23), which also serves as a qualifier for the football tournament at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
A total of 15 African nations will compete in the qualifiers, which will be contested across three rounds. Teams that progress from the first round will join established teams like Congo, Mali, Cameroon, and Zambia in the second round. Heavyweights such as Nigeria, South Africa, Gabon, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Egypt, and Morocco will enter the competition in the third round.
The top seven teams from these rounds will join host country Senegal in the final phase of the U23 CHAN, scheduled for December 2015.
Qualifying Schedule:
1st Round:
First Leg Matches: April 24, 25, 26
Return Matches: May 8, 9, 10
2nd Round:
First Leg Matches: May 22, 23, 24
Return Matches: May 29, 30, 31
3rd Round:
First Leg Matches: July 17, 18, 19
Return Matches: July 31, August 1, 2
First Round Matchups:
Ghana vs. Liberia
Guinea Bissau vs. Sierra Leone
Libya vs. Mauritania
Botswana vs. Kenya
Rwanda vs. Somalia
The qualifying campaign promises to be competitive, as countries battle for a place in the prestigious U23 African Nations Championship and the chance to compete on the global stage at the Rio Olympics.
