The final phase was originally scheduled to be played in Dakar, Senegal, from 28 September to 7 October 2001.
The beginning of the tournament was first postponed to October, however, after the Confederation of African Football had refused to give approval of the initial date due to claims it was being played too close to the start of the 2002 African Cup of Nations (set to kick off on 19 January 2002).
The tournament was finally arranged for 18 to 29 September 2002, to be held in Ivorian cities Abidjan and Bouaké, with the latter venue being added at the last moment.
[2] Unfortunately, one day into the tournament on 19 September, the First Ivorian Civil War broke out, leading to an indefinite postponement of the competition with the teams stranded in the country.
The groups were: Only two matches in the tournament were played, both on 18 September 2002: Senegal 1–0 Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast 5–0 Gambia.