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.

[1] 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.

[2] 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 third round was originally scheduled for 3–11 June 2019 but was rescheduled to 2–10 September 2019 due to the proximity of its initial dates to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations between 21 June and 19 July.

[4] The bracket of the draw was announced by the CAF on 2 October 2018.

Cameroon won on walkover due to FIFA's suspension of the Sierra Leone Football Association.

However, they were later disqualified for fielding an ineligible (overaged) player, and Morocco won on walkover.