U-20 World Cup - the African challenge

Ethiopia caused a surprise by qualifying for the World Cup - what else do they have up their sleeves?

By BBC Sport Online's Durosimi Thomas

No African team has ever won the World Youth championship since its inception in 1977 - so imagine what a privilege it would be to see an African side break the jinx in Argentina where I will be following the action from June 17 to July 8.

Nigeria in 1989 and Ghana four years later have both gone close to the title, losing in the final match, and victory at this year's tournament on South American soil promises to be just as elusive for the four African teams who will be defending the pride of the continent.

  Group A

1Argentina

2 Finland

3 EGYPT

4 Jamaica

A series of successes in the Under-17 World Cup finals has, disappointingly, failed to translate into victory at Under-20 level.

Champions Angola

Africa's hopes will be on the shoulders of Angola, Ghana, Egypt and Ethiopia, who booked their tickets to Argentina at the African youth championship staged in Addis Ababa in March.

Many Africans will be looking to Angola as the Under-20 champions to lead the continent's campaign.

BBC Sport Online correspondent Durosimi Thomas will be in Argentina

Angola have been drawn in group D against the Czech Republic, Japan and Australia.

Ghana face European champions France, Iran and Paraguay, while Egypt have a date with the hosts in group A which also includes Jamaica and Finland.

Ethiopia - the big surprises at the African Championship - will clash with Costa Rica, Ecuador and Holland.

First game

Buenos Aires is where I start Argentina 2001, where Egypt play Jamaica on the opening day of the tournament.

As the competition progresses, I will be following the rest of the action in the other host cities, Mar del Plata, Mendoza, Rosario, Salta and Cordoba.

  Group D

1 ANGOLA

2 Czech Republic

3 Japan

4 Australia

Although Angola are the African champions and Ghana have proven quality in U-20 competitions, my money will be on Egypt, who won bronze in Addis Ababa, to be the African team that will go furthest in Argentina.

Egypt will shake off Jamaica who are traditionally lightweights in international football.

High hopes

If the Pharaohs can kick off with a convincing display in their first game, they will have obeyed the first rule of any major tournament, and will be ready to face the hosts.

Eygpt's Ahmed Hossam is sure to be a big hit

The colourful and intimidating Argentine crowd will be a huge obstacle to the Egyptians, but they are professional enough to ride the storm and could eke out a draw.

That would give them a four-point cushion to take into their final game against unfancied Finland.

But it is not the weakness of Jamaica and Finland that convinces me that Egypt will do well, but their performance at the African championships which was a brilliant display of individual skill, technical flexibility and above all a purposeful and tactically aware attack.

  Group E

1Ecuador

2 ETHIOPIA

3 Netherlands

4 Costa Rica

To my reckoning, Ghana will struggle because of their disorganised preparations and because the current generation of players do not compare to their predecessors at Australia '93 and Malaysia '97.

Luck

Angola will find that their style of play - short passing and reliance on individual exploits - could fall down against Australia's direct approach and a Czech side full of vigour.

As for Ethiopia, they are lucky to have qualified, thanks to a strange ruling by the Confederation of African Football to order a replay between Cameroon and Egypt who were accused of cheating to qualify for the semi-finals.

  Group F

1 GHANA

2 Paraguay

3 Iran

4 France

For just qualifying for the World Cup is enough for Ethiopia and realistically, the young men of French coach Diego Garzito will struggle to keep up.

Argentina in particular are no strangers to African football having lost to Cameroon in the opening game of the 1990 World Cup and facing Nigeria four years later in the United States.

We can all expect a tremendous spectacle and more than a few fireworks over what is shaping up to be an absorbing 21 days of U-20 World Cup football.