Exciting match-ups in CAF African Schools Football Championship | COSAFA Qualifier draw
The draw has been concluded for the CAF African Schools Football Championship | COSAFA Qualifier that will be held in Stellenbosch, South Africa between Friday to Sunday this week.
South Africa have won the Boys and the Girls competitions for the last three editions and will have home advantage this time round as they seek to make it four in a row.
The single draw covers both the Boys and Girls events, with which will be played simultaneously in Stellenbosch.
South Africa are the top seed in the four-team Group A and will take on Namibia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique in their pool.
Zambia headline the three-team Group B and take on Eswatini and Comoros in their pool, while Malawi are top seeds in Group C and are drawn with Lesotho and Botswana.
You can view the draw as it happened HERE, while matches will be streamed LIVE on CAF TV and COSAFA’s YouTube Channel.
The CAF African Schools Football Championship was launched in 2022 as the brainchild of Confédération Africaine de Football President Dr Patrice Motsepe, with the Motsepe Foundation providing a USD 10-million investment into the competition.
The current holders of the continental title in the Boys’ competition are Tanzania, while the Girls’ champions are Ghana, who beat Uganda in the decider.
The 2024 Continental Finals were played in Accra, Ghana, and the winners each walked away with USD 300,000 in prize money. The runners-up received USD 200,000, while the bronze medallists took home USD 150,000.
This prize money is to be used for infrastructure development at schools, and many have invested in educational and sporting aids for their learners.
The winners of the CAF African Schools Football Championship | COSAFA Qualifier this year will receive USD 100,000, with the runners-up taking home USD 75,000, and the bronze medallists getting USD 50,000.
As much as there is focus on what happens on the pitch, there will also be several initiatives off it, including Safeguarding workshops for youngsters, a Young Reporters Programme, and Referee and Coaching workshops.
CAF AFRICAN SCHOOLS FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP | COSAFA QUALIFIER DRAW
GROUP A
South Africa
Namibia
Zimbabwe
Mozambique
GROUP B
Zambia
Eswatini
Comoros
GROUP C
Malawi
Lesotho
Botswana
