Eswatini will be seeking a first passage out of the group stages of the regional championship in 22 years at the TotalEnergies CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations | COSAFA Qualifier that will be staged in Maputo from September 26-October 5.

The only time Eswatini have managed the feat previously was in 2002 and it came via default as they lost 2-0 to Zimbabwe in the only game in Group B, which had been turned into a two-team pool by Madagascar’s withdrawal.

And with the top two sides in the groups advancing to the quarterfinals, as the format dictated back then, Eswatini set up a meeting with hosts South Africa but lost 7-1.

They came close to repeating that knockout showing in 2019, earning six points in their pool, but not enough to see them through as the best runner-up behind winners Angola.

A 2-0 in over Mozambique was followed by success against Seychelles by the same scoreline. But a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Angola meant they missed out on the semifinals, even if their performances were vastly improved.

History repeated itself when they hosted the tournament in 2022 and again managed a healthy haul of six points, but it was not enough to advance as Zambia topped their pool and Angola pipped them on goal-difference to the best runner-up spot.

Eswatini beat Botswana (2-1) and Mauritius (7-0), but a 2-0 loss to eventual winners Zambia proved their undoing.

It is certainly an improvement, they did not win a match at the COSAFA Under-20 Championships between 2004 and 2016, a record they finally put right when they beat Botswana 2-0 eight years ago.

That was still not enough to advance to the knockout stages though as they suffered defeats to South Africa and Lesotho later on in the competition.

They also did not manage a win in 2017, with a draw against East African guest nation Uganda sandwiched by defeats to Malawi and hosts Zambia.

It was a similar story in 2018 when they played in a shortened three-team group, but successive 4-0 losses to Mauritius and South Africa saw them exit in the first round.

They were in a three-team pool in 2020 and stunned Angola with a 1-0 win in their first game, but a loss by the same scoreline to Botswana meant they finished as runners-up, a huge missed opportunity.

Their best finish was third place all the way back in 1985 when the country hosted the competition.

Eswatini will this year face hosts Mozambique in their tournament opener, along with Zimbabwe and Botswana in a tough Group A.

ESWATINI FINISHES IN LAST 25 YEARS
1999 – Group stages
2000 – Group stages
2001 – Group stages
2002 – Quarterfinals
2003 – Group stages
2004 – Group stages
2005 – Group stages
2006 – Group stages
2007 – Group stages
2008 – Group stages
2009 – Group stages
2010 – Group stages
2011 – Group stages
2013 – Group stages
2016 – Group stages
2017 – Group stages
2018 – Group stages
2019 – Group stages
2020 – Group stages
2022 – Group stages