The 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualification was a men's under-23 football competition, which decided the participating teams of the 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations.
Players born 1 January 1997 or later were eligible to participate in the competition. A total of eight teams qualified to play in the final tournament, including Egypt who qualified automatically as hosts. These matches also served as the first stage of the CAF qualifiers for the 2020 Summer Olympics men's football tournament in Japan.
Apart from Egypt, the remaining 53 members of CAF were eligible to enter the qualifying competition, and a total of 43 national teams were in the qualifying draw, which was announced on 2 October 2018. The 13 teams which had the best performance in the 2015 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations final tournament and qualifying competition were given a bye to the second round.
Qualification ties were played on a home-and-away, two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, away goals rule was applied, and if still tied, penalty shoot-out (no extra time) was used to determine the winner.
The schedule of the qualifying rounds was as follows. All matches were played during the FIFA International Window. The third round was originally scheduled for 3âÂÂ11 June 2019 but was rescheduled to 2âÂÂ10 September 2019 due to the proximity of its initial dates to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations between 21 June and 19 July.
The bracket of the draw was announced by the CAF on 2 October 2018.
The seven winners of the third round qualified for the final tournament.
<section begin=First round />
<section end=First round />
Angola won on walkover after Namibia withdrew.
1âÂÂ1 on aggregate. Mozambique won on away goals.
Malawi won 3âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
3âÂÂ3 on aggregate. Burundi won on away goals.
Ghana won 5âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Equatorial Guinea won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Cameroon won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
South Sudan won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Niger won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Guinea won 6âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Sudan won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Kenya won 8âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Libya won on walkover after Gambia withdrew.
DR Congo won 5âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Ethiopia won 4âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
<section begin=Second round />
<section end=Second round />
South Africa won 6âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Zimbabwe won 2âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Zambia won 2âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Congo won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Ghana won 4âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Algeria won 3âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Cameroon won on walkover due to FIFA's suspension of the Sierra Leone Football Association.
Tunisia won 1âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Ivory Coast won 8âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
Guinea won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Sudan won 2âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Nigeria won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate.
DR Congo won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate. However, they were later disqualified for fielding an ineligible (overaged) player, and Morocco won on walkover.
Mali won 5âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Winners qualified for 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations. <section begin=Third round />
<section end=Third round />
South Africa won 5âÂÂ0 on aggregate.
Zambia won 5âÂÂ4 on aggregate.
Ghana won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
2âÂÂ2 on aggregate. Cameroon won on away goals.
2âÂÂ2 on aggregate. Ivory Coast won on away goals.
Nigeria won 5âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Mali won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
The following eight teams qualified for the final tournament.