South Africa national under-17 soccer team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see South Africa women's national under-17 soccer team.

South Africa under-17

Nickname	Amajimbos
Association	South African Football Association
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	COSAFA
Head coach	Vela Khumalo
Captain	Kamohelo Mareletse
Most caps	Emile Witbooi (37 caps)
Top scorer	Neo Bohloko (16 goals)
Home stadium	FNB Stadium
FIFA code	RSA
First colours Second colours
First international
South Africa 3–1   Zimbabwe (1995)
Biggest win
South Africa 7–0   Comoros (18 September 2025)
Biggest defeat
Senegal 5–0   South Africa (10 May 2023)
U-17 Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	5 (first in 2005 )
Best result	Runners-Up (2015)
COSAFA U-17 Youth Championship
Appearances	12 (first in 1994)
Best result	Champions (1994), (2002), (2020), and (2025)
FIFA U-17 World Cup
Appearances	2 (first in 2015 )
Best result	Round of 32 (2025)
Website	https://www.safa.net/

The South Africa national under-17 football team, nicknamed Amajimbos, is a youth football (soccer) team, which represents South Africa at under-17 level and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. The team's main objectives are to qualify and play at the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA U-17 World Cup and develop the players for South Africa national soccer team. ^[1]

History

FIFA U-17 World Cup

The team's greatest achievement to date include a second-place finish at the 2015 African U-17 Championship, hosted in Niger and qualifying for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile. ^[2]

In 2025, ten years after they made their FIFA U-17 World Cup debut, they qualified for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar after reaching the quarterfinals of the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations. ^{[3] [4]} The team became the first South African team to win their first match at the world cup when they won 3–1 against Bolivia despite being a man down. ^[5] They made it past the group stages for the first team reaching the round of 32 where they lost 3–0 to Japan. ^[6]

U-17 Africa Cup of Nations

At the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations they exited in the quarterfinals with a 3–1 loss to hosts Morocco after finishing as runners-up in Group B (1 loss, 1 win, and a draw). ^[7] The team qualified for their second FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar. ^[8]

FIFA U/16 Talent Development Scheme Tournament

In 2024, they were invited to play at the FIFA U/16 Talent Development Scheme Tournament held in Ivory Coast. The team finished with 2 wins and 1 loss. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

COSAFA U-17 Cup

They won the 2020 COSAFA U-17 Cup 4–2 via penalties after the match ended in a 1–1 draw against Zambia. ^[12] At the 2022 COSAFA U-17 Challenge Cup, they lost 1–0 in the final to Zambia. ^{[13] [14]} They won their fourth COSAFA title in 2025 defeating Angola 2–1 in the final. ^[15]

Current squad

The following 21 players were selected for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup held in Qatar between 3-21 November 2025:

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Club
1	1 GK	Lwandiso Radebe	(2009-03-25)25 March 2009 (aged 16)	SuperSport United
2	2 DF	Sive Pama	(2008-05-21)21 May 2008 (aged 17)	Cape Town City
3	2 DF	Lunje Noqobo	(2008-03-16)16 March 2008 (aged 17)	Kaizer Chiefs
4	2 DF	Liam Marithinus	(2008-02-27)27 February 2008 (aged 17)	Mamelodi Sundowns
5	4 FW	Luke Hendricks	(2008-03-23)23 March 2008 (aged 17)	Ubuntu Cape Town
6	3 MF	Kamohelo Maraletse	(2008-09-21)21 September 2008 (aged 17)	Mamelodi Sundowns
7	4 FW	Selwyn Stevens	(2008-02-15)15 February 2008 (aged 17)	Mamelodi Sundowns
8	3 MF	Teboho Mlangeni	(2008-01-19)19 January 2008 (aged 17)	Kaizer Chiefs
9	4 FW	Shaun Els	(2008-05-11)11 May 2008 (aged 17)	Kaizer Chiefs
10	4 FW	Emile Witbooi	(2008-08-29)29 August 2008 (aged 17)	Cape Town City
11	2 DF	Alwande Booysen	(2008-05-06)6 May 2008 (aged 17)	Lamontville Golden Arrows
12	4 FW	Tumi Mothapo-Bowes	(2008-05-15)15 May 2008 (aged 17)	Orlando Pirates
13	2 DF	Omphemetse Sekgoto	(2010-03-11)11 March 2010 (aged 15)	Mamelodi Sundowns
14	2 DF	Abulele Dlekedla	(2008-07-15)15 July 2008 (aged 17)	Cape Town City
15	4 FW	Neo Bohloko	(2008-04-01)1 April 2008 (aged 17)	Kaizer Chiefs
16	1 GK	Keabetswe Morake	(2009-01-19)19 January 2009 (aged 16)	Kaizer Chiefs
17	3 MF	Joshua Taylor	(2008-07-28)28 July 2008 (aged 17)	Cape Town City
18	4 FW	Will Henson	(2008-04-03)3 April 2008 (aged 17)	SuperSport United
19	4 FW	Lebo Dhlamini	(2008-04-11)11 April 2008 (aged 17)	Kaizer Chiefs
20	1 GK	Sello Mokhobo	(2008-01-03)3 January 2008 (aged 17)	Virginia Sports Academy
21	4 FW	Lebogang Mswane	(2008-03-21)21 March 2008 (aged 17)	Mamelodi Sundowns

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win  Draw  Loss  Fixture

2024

South Africa   v   Lesotho

16 August Friendly	South Africa	4–0	Lesotho	Soweto, South Africa
15:00 CAT	Pama 10' Stevens 21' Mhlangeni 26' Mgoqi 62'			Stadium: UJ Soweto Stadium

South Africa   v   Lesotho

18 August Friendly	South Africa	3–1	Lesotho	Soweto, South Africa
	Bohloko 45' Dlamini 59' Witbooi 61'		Skhosana 35'	Stadium: UJ Soweto Stadium

Algeria   v   South Africa

3 September FIFA U/16 TDS	Algeria	4–7	South Africa	Bingerville, Ivory Coast
			Stevens 8'90+' Bohloko 40'57' Pama 43' Witbooi 59'69'	Stadium: Stade Municipal

South Africa   v   Tanzania

5 September FIFA U/16 TDS	South Africa	1–1 (4–3 p)	Tanzania	Bingerville, Ivory Coast
	Bohloko 90+'			Stadium: Stade Municipal

Morocco   v   South Africa

7 September FIFA U/16 TDS	Morocco	1–0	South Africa	Bingerville, Ivory Coast
				Stadium: Stade Municipal

South Africa   v   Botswana

5 December COSAFA U-17	South Africa	4–0	Botswana	Johannesburg, South Africa
15:00	Stevens 6' (pen.) Witbooi 13' Maraletse 49' Bohloko 66'			Stadium: UJ Stadium Auckland Park

South Africa   v   Comoros

7 December COSAFA U-17	South Africa	3–0	Comoros	Johannesburg, South Africa
15:00	Stevens 6' Maraletse 64' Sekgoto 86'			Stadium: UJ Stadium Auckland park

South Africa   v   Mauritius

9 December COSAFA U-17	South Africa	3–2	Mauritius	Johannesburg, South Africa
15:00	Pama 8' Bohloko 10' Sekgoto 13'		Rabaye 53' Ravina 87' (pen.)	Stadium: UJ Stadium Auckland Park

South Africa   v   Zambia

11 December COSAFA U-17	South Africa	1–2	Zambia	Johannesburg, South Africa
15:00	Mlondo 1'		Nyirongo 22' (pen.) R. Banda 68'	Stadium: UJ Stadium Auckland Park

2025

South Africa   v   Egypt

31 March AFCON U-17	South Africa	4–3	Egypt	Casablanca, Morocco
20:00	Mlondo 1' Bohloko 27' (pen.), 41' (pen.) Witbooi 71'		Anas Roshdi 4', 13' Hamza Abdel Karim 18'	Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Leonidas da Graça (Cape Verde)

Cameroon   v   South Africa

3 April AFCON U-17	Cameroon	0–0	South Africa	Casablanca, Morocco
14:00				Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Brahamou Sadou Ali (Niger)

Burkina Faso   v   South Africa

6 April AFCON U-17	Burkina Faso	2–0	South Africa	Casablanca, Morocco
17:00	Bara 65' Tapsoba 89'			Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Aline Umutoni (Rwanda)

Morocco   v   South Africa

10 April AFCON U-17	Morocco	2–1	South Africa	Mohammedia, Morocco
20:00	El Aoud 13' Baha 61', 62'		Bohloko 54'	Stadium: El Bachir Stadium Referee: Brahamou Sadou Ali (Niger)

Zambia   v   South Africa

12 September COSAFA U-17	Zambia	0–4	South Africa	Harare, Zimbabwe
15:00				Stadium: Mwos Ngoni Stadium

South Africa   v   Madagascar

14 September COSAFA U-17	South Africa	5–1	Madagascar	Harare, Zimbabwe
12:00				Stadium: Mwos Ngoni Stadium

Malawi   v   South Africa

16 September COSAFA U-17	Malawi	1–4	South Africa	Harare, Zimbabwe
15:00				Stadium: Mwos Ngoni Stadium

South Africa   v   Comoros

18 September COSAFA U-17	South Africa	7–0	Comoros	Harare, Zimbabwe
12:00				Stadium: Mwos Ngoni Stadium

South Africa   v   Angola

20 September COSAFA U-17	South Africa	2–1	Angola	Harare, Zimbabwe
14:00				Stadium: Mwos Ngoni Stadium

South Africa   v   Bolivia

3 November FIFA U-17 World Cup	South Africa	3–1	Bolivia	Al Rayyan, Qatar
	Witbooi 38' Bohloko 50' Els 90+5'		Maraude 72' (p)	Stadium: Aspire Zone

Qatar   v   South Africa

6 November FIFA U-17 World Cup	Qatar	1–1	South Africa	Al Rayyan, Qatar
	Mohamed 3'		Witbooi 16'	Stadium: Aspire Zone

Italy   v   South Africa

9 November FIFA U-17 World Cup	Italy	3–1	South Africa	Al Rayyan, Qatar
	Inacio 4,58' Arena 55'		Els 38'	Stadium: Aspire Zone

Japan   v   South Africa

15 November FIFA U-17 World Cup	Japan	3–0	South Africa	Al Rayyan, Qatar
	Asada 48' Yoshida 59' Fujii 72'			Stadium: Aspire Zone

Competitive record

FIFA U-17 World Cup Hosts/Year Round GP W D L GS GA 1985 Banned 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 Did not qualify 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 Group Stage 3 0 1 2 2 5 2017 Did not qualify 2019 2023 2025 Round 32 4 1 1 2 5 8 Total 2/20 7 1 2 4 7 13

U-17 Africa Cup of Nations record U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Hosts/Year Round GP W D L GS GA 1995 Did not qualify 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 Fourth Place 5 2 1 2 8 6 2007 Group Stage 3 1 1 1 5 5 2009 Did not qualify 2011 2013 2015 Runners-up 5 2 2 1 8 7 2017 Did not qualify 2019 2021 Cancelled 2023 Quarter-finals 4 1 0 3 5 12 2025 Quarter-finals 4 1 1 2 5 8 2026 Qualified Total Runners-up 21 7 5 9 31 38

COSAFA U-17 Championship

COSAFA U-17 Challenge Cup record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D*	L	GS	GA	GD
2016	Runners-Up	5	4	0	1	11	1	+10
2017	Fourth place	5	3	0	1	11	11	0
2018	Runners-Up	5	3	1	1	8	3	+5
2019	Group Stage	3	0	1	2	1	11	+19
2020	Champions	5	3	1	1	7	6	+1 [12]
2021	Did not participate
2022	Runners-Up	5	3	0	2	17	3	+14
2024	Semi-finalist	4	3	0	1	11	4	+7
2025	Champions	5	5	0	0	22	3	+19 [15]
Total		37	24	3	9	88	41

See also

• Bafana Bafana (South Africa national football team)
• Amajita (South Africa national under-20 football team)
• Amaglug-glug (South Africa national under-23 football team)
• Amabinneplaas (South Africa national development football team)
• Africa U-17 Cup of Nations

References

1. "SA U17 team ultimate aim is to qualify for FIFA World Cup – SABC News – Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader". SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa\'s news leader. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
2. "FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015™: South Africa". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
3. "South Africa qualify for World Cup finals and progress to Afcon quarter-finals despite defeat to Burkina Faso | Goal.com South Africa". www.goal.com. 6 April 2025. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
4. Mokhesi, Tokelo (7 April 2025). "What Vela Khumalo said after Amajimbos' World Cup qualification". FARPost. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
5. "After 10-man Amajimbos slay Bolivia, Khumalo frets over recovery for Qatar". TimesLIVE. 4 November 2025. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
6. "Historical journey comes to an end! Injured Mamelodi Sundowns starlet shines but South Africa fall to Japan in U17 World Cup Round of 32 showdown | Goal.com South Africa". www.goal.com. 15 November 2025. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
7. "TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON – Morocco vs South Africa: The Lion Cubs take on skilful Amajimbos". TotalEnergies CAF U-17 AFCON – Morocco vs South Africa: The Lion Cubs take on skilful Amajimbos. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
8. "South Africa's national team Amajimbos qualify for FIFA Under-17 World Cup". Primedia Plus. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
9. Gcwabe, Ongama (31 August 2024). "SuperSport Schools Plus | Amajimbos jet off to Fifa u17 TDS Nations Tournament". SuperSport Schools Plus. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
10. Pongco, Siya (6 September 2024). "SuperSport Schools Plus | Amajimbos win again in Côte d'Ivoire". SuperSport Schools Plus. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
11. "Vela Khumalo lauds the preparation of Amajimbos as the project starts to take shape | soccer". SABC. 17 August 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
12. "EN, FR, PR: South Africa win COSAFA Qualifiers for TOTAL U-17 AFCON, Morocco 2021!". 29 November 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
13. Kanjere, Peter (12 December 2022). "COSAFA Championship joy for SA girls, heartbreak for Amajimbos". FARPost. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
14. "Coach Khumalo names final Amajimbos squad for COSAFA Youth Championships - SAFA.net". 29 November 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
15. Mabuka, Dennis (21 September 2025). "South Africa crowned COSAFA U17 champions after win over Angola - Africa Top Sports" . Retrieved 21 September 2025.

External links

• South Africa FA official website

Head-to-head record

The following table shows South Africa's head-to-head record in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Costa Rica	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	000.00
North Korea	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Russia	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	000.00
Total	3	0	1	2	2	5	−3	000.00