NAMIBIA, SOUTH AFRICA, ZAMBIA AND ZIMBABWE U17 BOYS PROFILES
The TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations | COSAFA Qualifier will be staged in Johannesburg from December 4-13 with 12 teams hoping to reach the continental finals that are to be held next year.
To do that they much seal a place in the final and it will be fascinating to see which sides emerge in the coming weeks to not only take the crown, but also advance with the chance of becoming African champions.
The third and final part of our team profiles looks at Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and their recent history in the competition.
If you missed our Angola, Botswana, Comoros and Eswatini profiles, you can find them here.
If you missed our Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius and Mozambique profiles, you can find them here.
ZAMIBIA
Last five tournament finishes:
2018 – Third
2019 – Did not enter
2020 – Did not enter
2021 – Did not enter
2022 – Group Stages
Namibia took a break from the COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championship after they finished third in 2018, missing three tournaments in a row before they returned in 2022.
They were winners of the championship in 2016 and the team’s victory eight years ago was a great day for Namibian football and showed the rich potential for the game in the country.
After beating hosts Mauritius 3-1 in their pool opener, they lost 4-0 to South Africa in the second game. However, passage to the semifinals was assured after they stormed to a 4-1 success over Seychelles in their final pool match.
It meant Namibia would face Malawi in the semifinals and after a 1-1 draw, they held their nerve to triumph 6-5 in the penalty shoot-out.
It would be good preparation for the final against South Africa as the teams again played to a 1-1 draw, with Namibia this time edging the penalty shoot-out 3-1 to claim their first ever continental title.
They came close again in 2018 after topping their pool following an 8-3 victory over Seychelles and 2-0 success against Botswana, to go with a 1-0 loss to home nation Mauritius. They lost 2-0 to South Africa in the semifinals, but beat Mauritius second time round 2-1 to claim bronze.
SOUTH AFRICA
Last five tournament finishes:
2018 – Runners-up
2019 – Group Stages
2020 – Winners
2021 – Did not enter
2022 – Runners-Up
South Africa have traditionally been one of the powers in the region at this age-group level with a joint record three title victories, the last in 2020. It is a tally they share with Zambia, and have also been losing finalists a record five times, falling short against the Young Chipolopolo in the 2022 decider. It means they have appeared in eight of the 11 championships held over the years, missing out in only 2017, 2019 and 2021.South Africa lifted the inaugural trophy in 1994 when they beat Mozambique 2-1 in the final with a team that contained the likes of Delron Buckley, Steve Lekoelea and Junaid Hartley. They did not appear in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but were back at the last event two years ago. They came through a tough pool as the best runner-up behind Zambia, before a comfortable 5-1 victory over hosts Malawi in the semifinals. This set up a rematch with the Zambians in the decider, but it was the latter who triumphed 1-0 in Lilongwe.
ZAMBIA Last five tournament finishes:
2018 – Group Stages
2019 – Winners
2020 – Runners-up
2021 – Runners-up
2022 – Winners
Zambia are the joint most successful side in the competition along with South Africa after their three title wins, and have appeared in each of the last four finals, winning two of those.
They go into the 2024 event as the defending champions having edged South Africa 1-0 in the final two years ago, which made up for the disappointment of back-to-back runners-up places in 2020 and 2021. They were also winners in 2019 as they edged Mozambique 2-0 in the final, with their two recent victories both coming in Malawian soil. Their other tournament win came in Mauritius in 2017, having had a long wait for their maiden title in this age-group.
The side has twice before been to the continental finals, but exited in the group stages on both occasions in 2015 and 2023. They will be determined to be among the top two in Johannesburg and have another go at the African championship in 2025.
ZIMBABWE
Last five tournament finishes:
2018 – Group Stages
2019 – Did not enter
2020 – Disqualified
2021 – Did not enter
2022 – Did not enter
For all their prowess as a regional powerhouse, Zimbabwe have only made the final of the COSAFA Men’s Under-17 Championship on one occasion, when they lifted the trophy in 2007. They reached the semifinals in 1994 but lost 5-1 to South Africa and were beaten 1-0 by Zambia in the bronze-medal match. They exited in the first round in 2001 after a 1-0 loss to South Africa and a 3-2 victory over Namibia, and did not compete in 2002. Their crowning glory came in the 2007 competition as they topped their pool with wins over Angola (2-1) and Eswatini (3-1), that had followed a 1-1 draw with Namibia.They defeated Zambia 5-4 on penalties in the semifinals after a 1-1 draw, and then edged South Africa on spot-kicks (4-2 after a 1-1 draw) in the decider. The team did not compete in 2016 and lost all three pool matches in 2017, going down to Mauritius (1-0), Malawi (5-0) and Botswana (2-1). It was a similar story in 2018 and they did not compete in 2019, while the team was disqualified from the 2020 tournament for several players failing eligibility tests. They skipped the 2021 and 2022 tournaments, which means they last outright win (without penalties) in a match was 17 years ago in the pool stages against Eswatini (3-1). That is something they will want to put right this time round.