Kenya men’s U20 team – Rising Stars – have shelved plans to hold a training camp in Morocco ahead of their maiden appearance at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.Follow our WhatsApp channel for more newsA 26-man squad led by head coach Salim Babu had been expected to jet out of the country on Friday, 18 April, for a 10-day training camp in the North African country, only for it to be scrapped at the last minute.As per sources close to the situation, the move comes after Kenya and Morocco were placed in the same group during last Sunday’s re-draw ceremony, a scenario that made a pre-tournament friendly “impossible.”Kenya’s U20 team, the Rising Stars, will no longer travel to Morocco for their final AFCON preparations — that plan has officially been scrapped.Instead, the team is set to fly out to Egypt on Monday to finalize their build-up ahead of their opening AFCON U20 clash against… pic.twitter.com/j0sub2FSjy— Ole Teya (@TeyaKevin) April 18, 2025 Kenya, who had initially (February) been pooled alongside Sierra Leone, Zambia and reigning champions Senegal, were re-drawn into a tough Group B, which will now see them take on Morocco, Tunisia, and record winners Nigeria.The move followed the withdrawal of the previous host Ivory Coast, in the last week of March.##NAJAVA_MECA_8867537##As a result, the Rising Stars team will instead fly out to the current host country – Egypt – on Monday, 21 April, in time for their historic debut.Kenya will play its first match on Thursday, 1 May, against Morocco, before facing Tunisia and Nigeria on Sunday, 4 and Wednesday, 7 May, respectively.FKF’s plan to build new headquarters away from KasaraniThe top two teams from each group will advance to the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-placed teams.The competition will then proceed to the knockout stage, where the four best-performing teams will earn a place in the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Chile from Saturday, 27 to Sunday, 19 October 2025.On Thursday, the Kenyan team received a significant boost following the arrival of skipper Amos Wanjala, among the last members to join camp.Boost for Rising Stars as skipper finally arrives in campFinal SquadGoalkeepersKevin Oduor, Wycliford Oduor, Benard JairoDefendersBaron Ochieng, Humphrey Obino, Jackson Imbiakha, Joseph Bate, Manzur Okwaro, Amos Wanjala, Telena Ochieng, Collins OchiengMidfieldersKevin Wangaya, Emilio Brian, Irad Mshindi, Humphrey Aroko, Aldrine Kibet, Kelly Madada, Hassan Beja, Ezekiel Omuri, Elly Owande, William Gitama, Javan Omondi, Andreas OdhiamboForwardsLawrence Ouma, Oliver Machaka, Mark Shaban
