Guinea will face Mali in the TotalEnergies CAF U23 Africa Cup of Nations third and fourth place play off on Friday, as both nations fell short of making it to the finals after suffering semi-final defeats to Egypt and Morocco respectively.
While the coveted TotalEnergies CAF U23 AFCON trophy is out of reach for the two nations, there is still a lot to play as a third place finish secures qualification to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics next year.
Africa is allocated three automatic spots at the global showpiece, two of which have already been taken up by the two finalists, Egypt and Morocco.
There is still the chance for the loser of the third place payoff between Mali and Guinea to also seal a place at the competition to be held in Paris.
But the side must win a playoff match against a country from Asia at a date to be decided by competition organisers.
Guinea were unlucky not to advance to the finals but put up a brave fight against the Egyptians, who are the defending champions and go into the final with zero goals conceded.
Mali on the other hand fell short through the lottery of penalties after a 2-2 stalemate against the hosts concluded with a 4-3 penalty victory in favour of Morocco who became the second team to book a place at next year’s global showpiece.
There will be very little to separate the two sides vying for the last spot for Africa on Friday, with both nations showing their mettle throughout the competition.
Guinea finished second in the group, with their only loss coming against the host nation.
Mali, who also finished second made the defending champions sweat for a top finish in Group B as they were separated by a mere point in deciding who finished top.
Kick Off for the all-important clash will be 17:00 GMT at the Grande Stade de Tanger in Tangier.
