Botswana coach Itumeleng Duiker says his side will go to the 2017 COSAFA Under-17 Championships in Mauritius to compete and lift the trophy!

The regional finals will be played from July 21-30, with Botswana making a return to the competition after slipping last year.

They have been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

“It has been quite difficult to complete the selection process because at this time of year the schools are still on,” Duiker says. “So obviously the boys have that to keep them occupied, but we have tried our best and I think we have done a good job to select a competitive team.

“We will go to Mauritius to compete and our ambition is to lift the trophy, nothing short of that. But it will also be a great opportunity for these boys, because none of them will have played in a tournament like this one before.”

Botswana open their campaign against Malawi at the Stade St Francois Xavier on July 22.

They will hope to be in the top two in the pool, which will see them advance to the semifinals,, where they will take on the leading sides in Group B.

That contains last year’s beaten finalists South Africa, powerhouse Zambia, Mozambique and Madagascar.