Nickname(s) | Amajita (The Boys) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | South African Football Association | ||
Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
Sub-confederation | COSAFA | ||
Head coach | Raymond Mdaka | ||
Captain | Lefa Autata | ||
FIFA code | RSA | ||
| |||
First international | |||
South Africa 2–0 Swaziland (Somhlolo, Swaziland; 11 December 1993) [1] | |||
Biggest win | |||
South Africa 8–0 Lesotho (Moruleng, South Africa; 7 December 2016) | |||
FIFA U-20 World Cup | |||
Appearances | 4 (first in 1997 ) | ||
Best result | Round of 16 (2009) | ||
U-20 Africa Cup of Nations | |||
Appearances | 8 (first in 1997 ) | ||
Best result | Runners-Up (1997) | ||
COSAFA U-20 Challenge Cup | |||
Appearances | 21 (first in 1993 ) | ||
Best result | Champions (2000), (2004),(2006),(2008),(2009),(2013),(2017), (2018), and (2024) |
The South Africa national under-20 football team (Amajita), is a youth football (soccer) team, which represents South Africa 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-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and FIFA U-20 World Cup. The team has played at seven U-20 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and three FIFA U-20 World Cups.
The team was started in 1993, when SAFA decided to form an under-20 team. The team's greatest achievements to date include a second-place finish at the 1997 African Youth Championship, hosted in Morocco and qualifying for the 1997, 2009 and 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup and 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup. [2] [3]
In 2013, they won the 2013 COSAFA U-20 Cup with a 2-0 win against Kenya in the final held in Lesotho. [4]
In 2017, they won the 2017 COSAFA U-20 Cup with a 2-1 win against Lesotho in the final held in Zambia. [5]
In 2018, they won the 2018 COSAFA U-20 Cup against Zimbabwe 4-3 via penalties after the match ended in a 1-1 draw in Zambia. [6]
In 2024, they won their ninth COSAFA U-20 Cup after defeating Zambia 2-0 in the final. [7] They did not concede in the entire tournament and qualified for the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. [8]
Players who are selected, will be 20 or younger in the following World Cup year. With the next FIFA U-20 World Cup being held in Chile in 2025, players need to have been born on or after 1 January 2005.
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled. [9] [10]
Win Draw Loss Fixture
5 October COSAFA U-20 | Zambia | 0-2 | South Africa | Matola, Mozambique |
15:00 | Stadium: Estádio da Matola Annex |
3 October COSAFA U-20 | Angola | 0-1 | South Africa | Matola, Mozambique |
12:00 |
| Stadium: Estádio da Matola Annex |
1 October COSAFA U-20 | Comoros | 0-2 | South Africa | Matola, Mozambique |
15:00 | Stadium: Estádio da Matola Annex |
29 September COSAFA U-20 | South Africa | 6-0 | Lesotho | Matola, Mozambique |
15:00 | Stadium: Estádio da Matola Annex |
27 September COSAFA U-20 | South Africa | 5-0 | Malawi | Matola, Mozambique |
15:00 | Stadium: Estádio da Matola Annex |
18 August Friendly | Lesotho | 0-4 | South Africa | Maseru, Lesotho |
Stadium: Bambatha Tsita Sports Arena |
The following 20 players were selected for the 2024 COSAFA U-20 Cup held in Mozambique between 26 September – 5 October 2024: [11]
Players who have previously played for the under-20 team, and have since gone on to play for the senior team:
U-20 World Cup | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hosts/Year | Result | Position | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
1977-1993 | Banned | |||||||
1995 | did not qualify | |||||||
1997 | Group Stage | 20th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
1999 to 2007 | did not qualify | |||||||
2009 | Round of 16 | 15th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
2011 | did not qualify | |||||||
2013 | ||||||||
2015 | ||||||||
2017 | Group Stage | 21st | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
2019 | Group Stage | 19th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
2023 | did not qualify | |||||||
2025 | to be determined | |||||||
Round of 16 | 4/24 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 25 |
Africa U-20 Cup of Nations | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hosts/Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | |
1979 to 1993 | did not enter | |||||||
1995 | did not qualify | |||||||
1997 | Second Place | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | |
1999 | did not qualify | |||||||
2001 | Group Stage | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | |
2003 | Group Stage | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | |
2005 | did not qualify | |||||||
2007 | ||||||||
2009 | Fourth Place | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 9 | |
2011 | Group Stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
2013 | did not qualify | |||||||
2015 | Group Stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | |
2017 | Fourth Place | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 9 | |
2019 | Third Place | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
2021 | did not qualify | |||||||
2023 | ||||||||
COSAFA U-20 Challenge Cup | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hosts/Year | Result | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA | |
1983 to 1990 | did not enter | |||||||
1993 | Quater-finals | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 3 | |
1995 | Second Place | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
1997 | Unknown | |||||||
1999 | Second Place | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 6 | |
2000 | Champions | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | |
2001 | Unknown | |||||||
2002 | Unknown | |||||||
2003 | Unknown | |||||||
2004 | Champions | Unknown | ||||||
2005 | Unknown | |||||||
2006 | Champions | Unknown | ||||||
2007 | Second Place | Unknown | ||||||
2008 | Champions | Unknown | ||||||
2009 | Champions | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
2010 | Group Stage | Unknown | ||||||
2011 | Group Stage | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | |
2013 | Champions | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
2016 | Second Place | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 2 | |
2017 | Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | |
2018 | Champions | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
2019 | Second Place | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 6 | |
2020 | Group Stage | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | |
2022 | Third Place | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 7 | |
2024 | Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
The South Africa men's national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international soccer and it is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for Soccer in South Africa. Nicknamed Bafana Bafana, the team's home ground is FNB Stadium, which is located in Johannesburg. The team is a member of both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF). The team are one of the most well-supported national sides in Africa, and are recognized by their traditional yellow-green kits.
The Eswatini national football team, nicknamed Sihlangu Semnikati, represents Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, in international football and is controlled by the Eswatini Football Association. It has never qualified for the World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations finals. Swaziland's best performance in an international tournament is a semi-final finish in the COSAFA Cup.
The Lesotho national football team, also known as LNFT, represents Lesotho in men's international association football and is governed by the Lesotho Football Association.
The South Africa women's national football team, nicknamed Banyana Banyana, is the national team of South Africa and is controlled by the South African Football Association.
The Botswana women's national football team is the women's national football team of Botswana and is controlled by the Botswana Football Association. They qualified for their maiden Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON) tournament held in Morocco in July 2022.
The U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, known for short as the U-20 AFCON and for sponsorship purposes as TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, previously known as the African Youth Championship and the African U-20 Championship, is the biennial international youth football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for its nations consisting of players under the age of 20. It serves as the African qualification tournament for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
The Lesotho women's national football team, also known affectionately as Mehalalitoe, represents Lesotho in international women's football. Governed by the Lesotho Football Association (LFA), the team has demonstrated steady progress in recent years, particularly within the regional Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) competitions.
The Zambia women's national association football team represents Zambia in association football, participating in qualifying tournaments for the FIFA Women's World Cup and other African-based competitions. It made its debut in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, becoming the first landlocked nation in Africa to qualify for a senior World Cup in either men's or women's soccer.
The South Africa national under-17 football team (Amajimbos), is a youth football (soccer) team, which represents South Africa 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 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations and FIFA U-17 World Cup and develop the players for the main national team Bafana Bafana.
Luther Wesley Singh is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a winger for Cypriot club AEL Limassol and the South Africa national team.
The Mopani Copper Mines COSAFA Under-20 Championship will be the 24th edition of the COSAFA U20 Cup, an international youth competition open to national associations of the COSAFA region.
The South Africa U-17 women's national football team,, is a youth football (soccer) team, which represents South Africa and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. The team's main objective is to qualify and play at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and develop players for the main national team Banyana Banyana.
Edward Chilufya Jr. is a Zambian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Danish Superliga club Midtjylland, and the Zambia national team.
The 2018 COSAFA U-20 Cup was the 25th edition of the COSAFA U-20 Challenge Cup, an international youth competition open to national associations of the COSAFA region. It took place between 30 November and 13 December in Zambia.
Thabo Senong is a South African football manager who is an assistant coach with Tanzanian club Singida Fountain Gate.
Itumeleng Shopane is a South African professional footballer who plays as a centre forward for National First Division side Swallows on loan from Kaizer Chiefs B.
The 2020 COSAFA Under-17 Championship is the 9th edition of the COSAFA U-17 Championship, a football tournament organized by the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) involving teams from Southern Africa for players aged 17 and below. The tournament is also the qualifier for the 2021 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, which in turn is the qualifier for the 2021 FIFA U-17 World Cup and will be played on November 19–29 in Nelson Mandela Bay and the two finalists of the tournament will be representing COSAFA in the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations. Initially, it was planned to be played in Malawi in July but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the first four games,, the tournament was re-started as four teams were disqualified for using over-aged players.
The 2020 COSAFA U-20 Cup was the 27th edition of the COSAFA U-20 Challenge Cup, an international youth football tournament open to national associations of the COSAFA region. It took place between 3 December and 13 December in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa. Initially planned to be hosted by Mauritius, the competition was later shifted to South Africa after Mauritius withdrew as hosts due to the COVID-19 regulations. The matches were played at Port Elizabeth.
The 2021 COSAFA Cup was the 20th edition of the COSAFA Cup, an international football competition consisting of national teams of member nations of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA). It took place on 6–18 July 2021.
Bethuel Muzeu, also known as Muzeu Muzeu, is a Namibian footballer who plays for National First Division club Black Leopards and the Namibia national team.