Why Kenya U20 Team Has Shelved Plans for Morocco Camp Ahead of AFCON Debut

Rising Stars' plans to hold a ten-day training camp in Morocco ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON U-20) tournament in Egypt are off according to sources.

The 26-man squad led by head coach Salim Babu had been expected to jet out of the country on Friday, April 18, but the plans were  scrapped at the last minute.

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The change in plans follows the AFCON group stage draw which placed Kenya and Morocco in the same group, making it impossible for the two sides to face off in pre-tournament friendlies.

"Kenya’s U20 team, the Rising Stars, will no longer travel to Morocco for their final AFCON preparations — that plan has officially been scrapped," Ole Teya posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"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 Morocco on May 1st.

"The change in plans follows the AFCON group stage redraw, which placed Kenya and Morocco in the same group, making it impossible for the two sides to face off in pre-tournament friendlies."

Kenya are in Group B of the biennial championship alongside record champions Nigeria, hard-to-beat Morocco and the ever-improving Tunisia.

The initial draw pitted Kenya against reigning champions Senegal, Sierra Leone and Zambia.

Rising Stars are debuting in the continental showpiece and have been hard at work for the the three-week long tournament.

Egypt will host the starting April 27 to May 18 and the Amos Wanjala-captained Rising Stars are in buoyant mood about their chances.

The top four teams in the tournament all qualify for the U-20 World Cup meaning reaching the semifinals is the bare minimum.