The South African U20 national team, known as Amajita, has reached the semifinals of the TotalEnergies U20 Africa Cup of Nations 2026 Cosafa Qualifiers tournament following a 2-0 victory over Eswatini on Wednesday in Maputo.
South Africa entered their final group stage match with a good record – two wins from two starts – and their third successive victory ensured they finished top of Group B.
Amajita dominated the opening half of Wednesday’s clash and established their winning margin through goals by Manelis Mazibuko and Milimo Nalumango.
Coach Raymond Mdaka made wholesale changes to his starting lineup, introducing Nalumango, Sanele Simelane, Joshua Taylor, Kgomotso Madiba, Will Henson, and Ukhonaye Magele as replacements for Matthew Palmer, Tebogo, Teboho Lekhatla, Emile Witbooi, Oarabile Booysen, Steven Mendes, and Teboho Mlangeni, who had started in South Africa’s 3-0 win over Lesotho and 2-0 victory over Angola.
Takalani Mazhamba, Egan Freese, Cayden Fortune, Lazola Maku, and Mazibuko provided continuity, having started against Angola.
By finishing first in their group, Amajita sealed a semifinal place and moved a step closer to retaining the Cosafa Championship title, which they captured in both 2024 and 2025.
By winning Group C, Zambia won through to the final four. Namibia progressed from Group A, while Mozambique, the host nation, edged out Angola for the last semifinal place, based on fair play points.
When South Africa takes on Zambia on Friday for a place in the title decider, it will be a showdown between the Cosafa competition’s most successful sides. The Zambians have won the title 12 times, and South Africa has won it 10 times. They met in the 2024 final, with South Africa taking the win.
Their kickoff in Maputo is at 16:00, with Namibia and Mozambique meeting at 19:00.
The matches are being broadcast on the Cosafa YouTube Channel.
Semifinal Fixtures
Friday, 25 September
16:00 – South Africa vs Zambia
19:00 – Namibia vs Mozambique
