COSAFA Under-20 Championship in Numbers
The COSAFA Men’s Under-20 Championship for 2026 will be played as the CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers and staged in Mauritius from September 18-27, as the top young talent in the region compete for places at the continental finals.
We round up the numbers from the rich 43-year history of the competition in its various guises.
0 – The only final to finish goalless was in 2001, when Zambia needed a penalty shoot-out to beat Angola 5-3 on spot-kicks. The only other final to go to a shoot-out was in 2018, when South Africa defeated Zimbabwe 4-3 after a 1-1 draw.
1 – This will be the first time Mauritius stages the prestigious competition. They will be the sixth different host in the last six editions after Zambia (2019), South Africa (2020), Eswatini (2022), Mozambique (2024) and Namibia (2025). COSAFA confirms the 2026 competition will be staged in Mauritius from September 18-27.
2 – The best finish by a guest nation was the silver medal won by Kenya in 2013, when they lost 2-0 to South Africa in the final. There are no guest teams in this year’s field as it is a continental qualifier.
3 – Angola lost three finals in a row between 2000 and 2002. They returned to the deciding match in 2011 but lost once more. They have yet to win the regional title and are the nation with the most appearances in the final without lifting the trophy.
3 – South Africa became the third side from the COSAFA region to be crowned African champions when they lifted the continental title in Egypt in May 2025, after Angola (2001) and Zambia (2017).
4 – Zambia hold the record for the most consecutive title wins, claiming four successive editions between 1993 and 1999.
4 – Malawi’s Mwisho Mhango finished as the leading scorer at the 2025 tournament with four goals, despite his side losing to South Africa in the final.
5 – Only five nations have won the COSAFA Under-20 Championship – Zambia (12 times), South Africa (10), Zimbabwe (6), Madagascar (1) and Mozambique (1). South Africa’s 3-0 victory over Malawi in the 2025 final took them to 10 regional titles.
7 – The biggest victories in the competition in its current guise have been by seven-goal margins, and all have come since 2020. South Africa defeated Lesotho 7-0 (2020), hosts Eswatini beat Mauritius by the same scoreline (2022) and Angola thumped Seychelles 8-1 (2022). The nine goals in the latter fixture are the most scored in a single game among those matches.
9 – The most goals scored in a single final, when South Africa defeated Zambia 5-4 in 2004.
12 – The number of titles won by Zambia, the most successful nation in the history of the COSAFA Under-20 Championship.
12 – The number of teams that will compete in this year’s championship – hosts Mauritius, Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa and Zambia.
29 – Zambia and Eswatini have featured in the most editions of the tournament in its various guises down the years, having appeared 29 times, including 2026. Botswana make a 28th appearance, while Zimbabwe are on 27 but will not play this year.
30 – The number of completed championship titles before the 2026 edition.
44 – The number of goals scored at the last COSAFA Men’s Under-20 Championship in Namibia in 2025, in 16 games, for an average of 2.75 goals per match.
1983 – The first time a regional competition was staged for junior teams. It was won by Zambia. COSAFA records 1983 as the inaugural year of the competition.
2000 – The first time a nation other than Zambia or Zimbabwe lifted the trophy, with South Africa claiming the prize.
