u17 Cosafa tournaments to be hosted in Johannesburg

The University of Johannesburg‘s (UJ) AW Muller Stadium and the UJ Soweto Campus Stadium will host the TotalEnergies u17 Africa Cup of Nations | Cosafa qualifier and the u17 Cosafa Girls’ Championship.

Mozambique had been set to host the event, but post-election protests in the country led to a late decision by Cosafa to move the games to South Africa.

The Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa), in a recent press statement, said the decision to move the tournament was made in the best interests of the teams and stakeholders, adding that it wasn’t taken lightly. Mozambique proved to be an excellent host of the TotalEnergies CAF u20 Africa Cup of Nations, which was won by South Africa in October.

The tournament kicks off on Wednesday, 4 December, and will run through until 13 December, which is when the champions will be crowned at the UJ Soweto Stadium.

The boys’ competition is a continental qualifier for the TotalEnergies u17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, while the girls’ competition will see the 12 nations competing for the coveted regional trophy.

With the event coinciding with the December holiday season, good attendances are expected at the two venues.

Group A has thrown up a Lusophone derby, with Mozambique being drawn alongside Angola. Malawi and Lesotho complete the four-team lineup.

The holders, Zambia, are in Group B with Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Eswatini, while Group C features the hosts, South Africa, Botswana, Comoros, and Mauritius.

In the girls’ competition, Group A includes Mozambique, Comoros, Eswatini, and Lesotho, while Group B features South Africa, the defending champions, who will face Malawi, Namibia, and Madagascar.

Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mauritius make up Group C.

TOTALENERGIES U17 BOYS’ AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS – COSAFA QUALIFIER FIXTURES

4 December

Group A

12:00: Lesotho vs Angola (UJ AW Muller Stadium)
15:00: Mozambique vs Malawi (UJ AW Muller Stadium)

5 December

Group B

12:00: Zimbabwe vs Eswatini (UJ AW Muller Stadium)
15:00: Zambia vs Namibia (UJ AW Muller Stadium)

Group C

12:00:  Comoros vs Mauritius (UJ Soweto Stadium)
15:00: South Africa vs Botswana (UJ Soweto Stadium)

6 December

Group A

12:00: Malawi vs Angola (UJ Soweto Stadium)
15:00: Mozambique vs Lesotho (UJ Soweto Stadium)

7 December

Group B

12:00: Namibia vs Eswatini (UJ Soweto Stadium)
15:00: Zambia vs Zimbabwe (UJ Soweto Stadium)

7 December

Group C

12:00: Botswana vs Mauritius (UJ Soweto Stadium)
15:00: South Africa vs Comoros (UJ Soweto Stadium)

8 December

Group A

15:00: Malawi vs Lesotho (UJ AW Muller Stadium)
15:00: Mozambique vs Angola (UJ AW Muller Stadium)

9 December

Group B

12:00: Namibia vs Zimbabwe (UJ AW Muller Stadium)
12:00: Zambia vs Eswatini (UJ AW Muller Stadium)

9 December

Group C

15:00: Botswana vs Comoros (UJ AW Muller Stadium)
15:00: South Africa vs Mauritius (UJ AW Muller Stadium)

11 December

Semi-finals

12:00: Winner B vs Winner C (UJ Soweto Stadium)
15:00: Winner A vs Best 2nd Placed (UJ Soweto Stadium)

13 December 

Final

15:00: Winner Match 19 vs Winner Match 20 (UJ Soweto Stadium)

COSAFA U17 GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES

4 December

Group A

11:00: Eswatini vs Lesotho (UJ AW Muller Stadium)
14:00: Mozambique vs Comoros (UJ AW Muller Stadium)

5 December

Group B

09:30: Namibia vs Madagascar (UJ Soweto Stadium)
12:30: South Africa vs Malawi (UJ Soweto Stadium)

5 December

Group C

11:00: Zambia vs Botswana (UJ AW Muller Stadium)
15:30: Zimbabwe vs Mauritius (UJ AW Muller Stadium)

6 December 

Group A

09:30: Mozambique vs Eswatini (UJ Soweto Stadium)
14:00: Comoros vs Lesotho (UJ AW Muller Stadium)

7 December

Group B

12:30: Malawi vs Madagascar (UJ Soweto Stadium)
15:30: South Africa vs Namibia (UJ Soweto Stadium)

8 December

Group C

09:30: Zambia vs Zimbabwe (UJ Soweto Stadium)
11:00: Botswana vs Mauritius (UJ AW Muller Stadium)

8 December

Group A

12:30: Comoros vs Eswatini (UJ Soweto Stadium)
15:30: Mozambique vs Lesotho (UJ Soweto Stadium)

9 December

Group B 

12:30: Malawi vs Namibia (UJ Soweto Stadium)
15:30: South Africa vs Madagascar (UJ Soweto Stadium)

9 December

Group C

09:00: Botswana vs Zimbabwe (UJ Muller Stadium)
09:30: Zambia vs Mauritius (UJ Soweto Stadium)

11 December

Semi-finals

11:00: Winner match B vs Winner match C (UJ Soweto Stadium)
14:00: Winner match A vs Best 2nd place (UJ Soweto Stadium)

13 December

Final

11:00: Winner match 19 vs Winner match 20 (UJ Soweto Stadium)

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Siya Pongco

A passionate reader and dedicated writer, Siya possesses three degrees from Rhodes University including a Postgraduate Diploma at Rhodes University. He also played amateur cricket and soccer, both during his university years. While honing his journalism skills at Grocott’s Mail in Makhanda, he developed a profound interest in the community’s response to crime. Additionally, he covered topics such as art/culture and student politics at Rhodes University in 2022. In his spare time, Siya can be found exploring galleries, dining at restaurants, indulging in literature, taking photographs or savouring his favourite dish, spaghetti.

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