The Gambia will be one of the exciting teams to watch when the TotalEnergies U20 AFCON 2023 kicks off in Egypt on 19 February. 

The Young Scorpions have finished third in two of their last three participations at the competition, but the quest for a world cup ticket will serve as a motivational factor as the team heads to Egypt.

Gambia booked their ticket for the competition, after finishing runners up at the WAFU-A Zone qualifiers in Nouakchott, Mauritania. 

The Young Scorpions defeated Cape Verde, and Liberia, drew with Guinea, before losing to Senegal 1-0, courtesy of a Samba Diallo goal.

In Egypt, they will compete in Group C, alongside Tunisia, Benin and Zambia.

This will be the Young Scorpions fourth participation at the TotalEnergies U20 AFCON.

In their three previous appearances at the competition, the Gambia has finished third twice ( 2007 in Congo and 2021 in Mauritania.) The only time they failed to go past the group stage, was in the 2011 edition in south Africa.

The 2021 edition was probably the Gambia’s best run in the competition. The generation of Lamarana Jallow and Musa Juwaru, succeeded in going through a group that had the likes of Morocco, Tanzania and eventual winners, Ghana. A defeat to Morocco, a draw against Tanzania and a win over Ghana, were enough for the Young Scorpions who went on to beat the Central African Republic at the quarter-final but were eliminated at the semis by Ghana.

The present team under the guidance of coach Abdoulie Bojang, has intensified preparations since January, and will be heading to Egypt in high spirits, following their recent win in a friendly against Marimoo PakFood.

“The preparation is in high gear and we are working more on the tactics for the players to understand because we want to play as a team. And what I’ve seen at this point in time, honestly, I’m very much impressed with the work rate of the players,” Abdoulie Bojang said.

Match Schedule (Group C)

21 February: The Gambia – Tunisia, 16h00 Local time, Alexandria Stadium, Alexandria

24 February: Zambia – The Gambia, 19h00 Local time, Alexandria Stadium, Alexandria

27 February: The Gambia – Benin, 19h00 Local time (Alexandria Stadium, Alexandria)