Southern Africa: Cosafa Nations Have Proud History At TotalEnergies CAF U20 Afcon

Southern Africa: Cosafa Nations Have Proud History At TotalEnergies CAF U20 Afcon

Outside of their bid for regional gory, the 12 teams competing at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) | COSAFA Qualifier Mauritius 2026 will seeking the two qualification berths for the continental finals in Ghana next year.

COSAFA nations have proud history at TotalEnergies CAF U20 AFCON

Outside of their bid for regional gory, the 12 teams competing at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) | COSAFA Qualifier Mauritius 2026 will seeking the two qualification berths for the continental finals in Ghana next year. Southern Africa has enjoyed some memorable moments at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations down the years, with three COSAFA nations having been crowned continental champions and several others using the competition as a springboard to the global stage. Angola were the first side from the region to lift the trophy when they triumphed in 2001, Zambia followed on home soil in 2017 and South Africa became the latest champions when they defeated Morocco in the 2025 decider. Eight of COSAFA’s 14 Member Associations have reached the finals, while others will be hoping to write a first chapter in their continental history in the coming years. Here is how each of the region’s nations has fared. ANGOLA Angola have made three appearances at the centralised finals, in 1999, 2001 and 2005, and it was the middle of those that produced one of the greatest moments in the country’s football history. They were crowned African champions in Ethiopia in 2001, defeating Ghana 2-0 in the final to become the first Southern African nation to lift the trophy. António Mendonça was named the tournament’s best player and Angola also qualified for the FIFA World Youth Championship later that year. That triumph came only two years after a difficult debut in Ghana in 1999, when Angola lost all three pool matches. They were also eliminated in the group stage in 2005 after defeats to Egypt, Lesotho and Morocco. BOTSWANA Botswana are still seeking a maiden appearance at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 AFCON finals. They have come through numerous qualifying campaigns but have yet to take the final step onto the continental stage. Their best performances at regional level include third-place finishes at the COSAFA Under-20 Championship in 2009 and 2011. COMOROS Comoros have also yet to qualify for the continental finals at Under-20 level. The island nation has become increasingly competitive across the age groups in recent years, but a place among Africa’s elite Under-20 sides remains one of the milestones still to be achieved. ESWATINI Eswatini have not qualified for the finals since that format was introduced in 1991. They did, however, feature in the competition in its old knockout guise in 1983, when they exited in the opening round. Their next target is therefore a first appearance at a modern TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 AFCON final tournament. LESOTHO Lesotho have twice reached the finals, in 2005 and 2011, and managed a victory on their debut. They beat fellow COSAFA side Angola 2-1 in Benin in 2005, though defeats to Morocco and Egypt meant they finished third in their group and did not advance. They returned six years later when the finals were moved to South Africa. Lesotho lost 2-0 to Egypt and 2-1 to the hosts before finishing with a 1-1 draw against Mali, leaving them with one point from their three matches. MADAGASCAR Madagascar have yet to appear at the continental finals, despite having enjoyed success at regional level. Their finest COSAFA Under-20 moment came in 2005 when they were surprise champions, defeating Lesotho 1-0 in the final to become only the fourth nation at the time to lift the regional trophy. A maiden TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 AFCON finals appearance remains an ambition. MALAWI Malawi’s only appearance at the finals came in Ghana in 1999 after an impressive qualification campaign that included a 5-1 aggregate victory over South Africa. They were drawn with Zambia, Nigeria and Guinea at the finals and lost all three matches, though they did score twice in a narrow 3-2 defeat to the latter. MAURITIUS Mauritius have appeared twice at the finals and had the honour of hosting the competition in 1993. They lost their opening two games that year to Ghana and Nigeria but finished on a high with a famous 2-1 victory over Cameroon, who would go on to reach the final. Mauritius qualified again in 1995 and once more picked up a victory, beating Senegal 2-1. Defeats to Burundi and eventual champions Cameroon left them third in their group. MOZAMBIQUE Mozambique are among the more recent newcomers, having made back-to-back appearances in 2021 and 2023. Their maiden qualification came after they won their first COSAFA Under-20 title in 2020. Their debut at the continental finals in Mauritania ended in the group stages, and they returned two years later in Egypt. Mozambique opened the 2023 tournament with an excellent 0-0 draw against hosts Egypt, but defeats to Senegal and Nigeria saw them bow out with one point. They have therefore played six matches at the finals across their two appearances and are still searching for a first victory. NAMIBIA Namibia made their only appearance at the finals in Mauritania in 2021 after reaching the COSAFA qualifying final alongside Mozambique. The Young Warriors drew 1-1 with Central African Republic in their opening game before defeats to Tunisia and Burkina Faso brought their campaign to an end. They finished the tournament with one point from their three matches and will be eager to make a return after that historic debut. SEYCHELLES Seychelles are another of the COSAFA nations still waiting for a first appearance at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 AFCON finals. They have competed regularly in the regional qualifiers, where the experience gained against Southern Africa’s leading youth sides remains an important part of their player-development pathway. SOUTH AFRICA South Africa have built an excellent record at this level and finally reached the summit in 2025. Amajita have appeared at the finals nine times, starting in 1997, when a side featuring future Bafana Bafana great Benni McCarthy reached the decider before losing 1-0 to hosts Morocco. They later finished fourth in 2009 and 2017 and claimed bronze in 2019, when they defeated Nigeria on penalties following a goalless third-place play-off. The breakthrough finally came in Egypt in 2025. South Africa recovered from losing their opening game to the hosts and progressed all the way to a second final, where Gomolemo Kekana’s superb strike handed them a 1-0 victory over Morocco and a maiden continental crown. ZAMBIA Zambia have arguably the deepest pedigree of any COSAFA nation in the competition. They first took part during the old knockout era and have been regular visitors to the finals, reaching the semi-finals in 1991, 1999 and 2007 before finally going all the way as hosts in 2017. That 2017 side was one of the finest youth teams produced by the region. Zambia won all three pool matches, including a 6-1 success against Mali, edged South Africa 1-0 after extra time in the semi-finals and defeated Senegal 2-0 in the decider. Players such as Patson Daka, Enock Mwepu and Fashion Sakala would go on to become senior international stars. Zambia finished fourth in 1991, 1999 and 2007. Their most recent continental appearance in 2025 ended in unusual fashion. Junior Chipolopolo went through four group matches unbeaten but collected six points from one victory and three draws and were still eliminated in a fiercely contested five-team pool. ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe are one of the great powers of the COSAFA Under-20 Championship, having won the regional title six times, but that success has not translated into an appearance at the CAF finals. They did play in the continental competition during its old home-and-away knockout era, first entering in 1981 and reaching the quarter-finals in 1983 and 1985. Since the switch to a single-host finals tournament in 1991, however, Zimbabwe have yet to qualify.