CAF U20 AFCON: Okoro, Harcourt Ruled Out of Nigeria’s Third-Place Clash Against Egypt

CAF U20 AFCON: Okoro, Harcourt Ruled Out of Nigeria’s Third-Place Clash Against Egypt

By Niyi Busari 

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will be without two of their key players, Odinaka Okoro and Ebenezer Harcourt, for their third-place match against hosts Egypt at the ongoing 2025 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Ebenezer Harcourt has been sidelined due to an injury he picked up during Nigeria’s narrow 1-0 semifinal loss to South Africa. Meanwhile, Okoro will miss the fixture after receiving a second yellow card in the same match, resulting in an automatic suspension. While Odinaka Okoro trained with the team, Harcourt could train following the knee injury sustained.

Nigeria’s defeat came just hours before Morocco also edged Egypt 1-0 in the other semifinal. The results set up a Morocco vs South Africa showdown in Sunday’s final, while Nigeria will battle Egypt for the bronze medal.

The third-place match is scheduled to kick off at 6:00 p.m. local time (4:00 p.m. Nigerian time) on Sunday at the 30 June Air Defense Stadium in Cairo. The final will follow at 9:00 pm.