[1][2] Mozambique was the defending champion having defeated Namibia by 1–0 goal in the final on 13 December 2020 of previous season.

[3] The following twelve teams are contesting in the tournament.

The draw was made in ....... on the.......... Last year's top nations were seeded into one group each and the rest of the teams were placed in 2 pots depending on last year's performance.

Now the teams from the second pot were drawn and slotted consecutively into groups A, B, and C resulting that group C ended up with one less team.

Winners qualified for 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.