AFCON U20 Group Stage MVPs: Rising stars who lit up Egypt 2025

The group stage of the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2025 concluded on Friday.

The eight nations that secured their places in the quarter-finals are Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Sierra Leone, DR Congo and South Africa.

This opening phase of the tournament delivered on all fronts — thrills, tension, and breakout performances — with each match producing new talents and dramatic storylines.

The top individual performers were honoured with Man of the Match awards in recognition of their impact on the field.

Mohamed Abdalla, who scored the only goal in Egypt’s tournament-opening victory over South Africa, was the first player to be awarded the Man of the Match trophy.

Since then, 19 more players have received the honour over the 22 matches played so far.

Only two players — Sierra Leone’s hat-trick hero Momoh Kamara and Zambia’s midfield dynamo Joseph Banda — received the MVP award twice during the highly competitive group stage.

Below is a full list of MVPs whose brilliance lit up the group stage and represent the future of African football:

Group Stage MVPs:

• Egypt 1-0 South Africa
  Man of the Match: Joseph Banda (Zambia)

• Zambia 0-0 Sierra Leone
  Man of the Match: Joseph Banda (Zambia)

• South Africa 1-0 Tanzania
  Man of the Match: Shakeel April (South Africa)

• Sierra Leone 4-1 Egypt
  Man of the Match: Momoh Kamara (hat-trick)

• Nigeria 1-0 Tunisia
  Man of the Match: Auwal Ibrahim (Nigeria)

• Kenya 2-3 Morocco
  Man of the Match: Othmane Maamma (Morocco)

• Senegal 1-1 Central African Republic
  Man of the Match: Cheikh Thiam (Senegal)

• DR Congo 1-1 Ghana
  Man of the Match: Abdul Hakim Sulemana (Ghana)

• Tanzania 0-1 Sierra Leone
  Man of the Match: Momoh Kamara (Sierra Leone)

• Egypt 0-0 Zambia
  Man of the Match: Ahmed Abdin (Egypt)

• Tunisia 3-1 Kenya
  Man of the Match: Nacim Dandani (Tunisia)

• Morocco 0-0 Nigeria
  Man of the Match: Daniel Bameyi (Nigeria)

• Central African Republic 1-3 DR Congo
  Man of the Match: Noah Makanza (DR Congo)

• Ghana 1-0 Senegal
  Man of the Match: Emmanuel Mensah (Ghana)

• Zambia 1-0 Tanzania
  Man of the Match: Joseph Banda (Zambia)

• Sierra Leone 1-4 South Africa
  Man of the Match: Tylon Smith (South Africa)

• Nigeria 2-2 Kenya
  Man of the Match: Injehu Wangaya (Kenya)

• Tunisia 1-3 Morocco
  Man of the Match: Ayman Arguigue (Morocco)

• Senegal 2-0 DR Congo
  Man of the Match: Ibrahima Dieng (Senegal)

• Central African Republic 0-1 Ghana
  Man of the Match: Abdul Aziz Issah (Ghana)

• Tanzania 0-1 Egypt
  Man of the Match: Abdelmonem Tamer (Egypt)

• South Africa 1-1 Zambia
  Man of the Match: Lazola Maku (South Africa)