2021 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations
The 2021 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations was the 16th edition (23rd edition if editions of the tournament without hosts are included), the biennial international youth football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for players aged 20 and below. In September 2018, it was decided that the tournament would be hosted by Mauritania. This would be the first edition of the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations to be expanded to 12 teams instead of eight. The top four teams of the tournament would have normally qualified for the 2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia as the CAF representatives. However, FIFA decided to cancel the tournament on 24 December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| كأس أمم إفريقيا تحت 20 سنة 2021 Coupe d'Afrique des Nations des U-20 2021 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Mauritania |
| Dates | 14 February – 6 March |
| Teams | 12 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Ghana (4th title) |
| Runners-up | Uganda |
| Third place | Gambia |
| Fourth place | Tunisia |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 26 |
| Goals scored | 52 (2 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Derrick Kakooza (5 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Abdul Fatawu |
| Fair play award | Uganda |
The defending champions Mali failed to qualify. Ghana won their fourth title by defeating debutant Uganda in the final.