The TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations | COSAFA Qualifier and COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship have been moved to Johannesburg, South Africa from the original host nation Mozambique due to the post-election protests in the country.
The tournament dates of December 4-13 remain the same, as do the previously concluded draws in both competitions.
The decision was made in the best interests of the teams and stakeholders, and was not taken lightly after Mozambique proved an excellent host for the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations | COSAFA Qualifier that concluded in October.
The Boys’ competition is a continental qualifier for the TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, while the Girls’ competition will see the 12 competing teams battle it out for the coveted regional trophy.
The exact venues for the matches will be communicated in the coming days once final inspections have been completed.
There will be a Lusophone derby in the Boys’ competition after Mozambique were drawn with Angola in Group A, while they also face Malawi and Lesotho.
Group B contains holders Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Eswatini, while Group C has hosts South Africa, Botswana, Comoros and Mauritius.
Only the top team in each pool advances to the semifinals along with the best-placed runner-up, providing little margin for error.
Nine COSAFA nations have qualified for the Boys’ continental Under-17 finals in the past, with South Africa providing the best finish when they ended runners-up in 2015.
Angola finished third in 2019 and Malawi fourth in 2009, but it has been a tough age-group for the region in continental battles.
The COSAFA Under-17 Championship has been played under several guises in the past, including as part of the AUSC Region 5 Games, though the tournament was organised by COSAFA.
South Africa (1994, 2002, 2020) and defending champions Zambia (2017, 2019, 2022) lead the way with three wins each, while Angola (2018, 2021), Malawi (2001), Zimbabwe (2007) and Namibia (2016) have one win each.
South Africa have been runners-up on five occasions too, meaning they have been in the final of eight of the 11 previous tournaments played, a record.
The draw in the Girls’ competition has also already been made and Group A contains Mozambique, Comoros, Eswatini and Lesotho, while Group B has holders South Africa, Malawi, Namibia and Madagascar.
Group C comprises Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mauritius.
The previous four editions have seen four different winners, the first two trophies claimed by guest nations.
Uganda pipped South Africa to the title in 2019, before Tanzania edged Zambia on penalties the following year. Zambia did lift the trophy in 2021 with a thumping 4-0 victory over Botswana in the decider, before South Africa edged the Zambian 4-3 in a thrilling decider in 2022.
The very first finals in 2019 created history when South Africa set a record for an international match in Africa by defeating Seychelles 28-0 in the pool stages.
But over the years the matches have become much tighter as teams in this age-group around the region become more competitive.
