Zimbabwe hosts the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Under 17 Council of Southern Africa Football (COSAFA) qualifiers from 11-20 September. Matches kick off this Thursday in Harare.
The qualifiers comprise twelve teams with the winner of the qualifiers proceeding to the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF AFCON tournament next year. The AFCON tournament will also serve as qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA Under-17 World Cup to be staged in Qatar. The World Cup has been expanded to a 48-team format. Africa will take ten places at the tournament.
There is more to play for, and fireworks are set to explode this Thursday as the Southern African teams battle for honours.
The matches will be staged at Hearts Stadium, home to Yadah FC owned by renowned Prophet Walter Magaya. The other host stadium is MWOS’s home turf, Ngoni Stadium in Norton. Entrance fees are free for the group stage.
Zambia are the most decorated and defending champions, having won the tournament in 2024. Zimbabwe is expected to take advantage of the home fans to cause an upset at the tournament
GROUP A
Teams: Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Comoros, EswatiniZimbabwe,
Fixtures:
Sept 11: Comoros vs Eswatini (12h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium)
Sept 11: Zimbabwe vs Mozambique (15h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium)
Sept 13: Mozambique vs Comoros (12h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium)
Sept 13: Zimbabwe vs Eswatini (15h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium)
Sept 15: Eswatini vs Mozambique (15h00, Hearts Stadium)
Sept 15: Zimbabwe vs Comoros (15h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium)
GROUP B
Teams: Zambia, South Africa, Madagascar, Malawi
Fixtures:
Sept 12: Madagascar vs Malawi (12h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium)
Sept 12: Zambia vs South Africa (15h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium)
Sept 14: South Africa vs Madagascar (12h00, Hearts Stadium)
Sept 14: Zambia vs Malawi (15h00, Hearts Stadium)
Sept 16: Malawi vs South Africa (12h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium)
Sept 16: Zambia vs Madagascar (12h00, Hearts Stadium)
GROUP C
Teams: Angola, Botswana, Mauritius, Lesotho
Fixtures:
Sept 12: Mauritius vs Lesotho (12h00, Hearts Stadium)
Sept 12: Angola vs Botswana (15h00, Hearts Stadium)
Sept 14: Botswana vs Mauritius (12h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium)
Sept 14: Angola vs Lesotho (15h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium)
Sept 16: Lesotho vs Botswana (15h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium)
Sept 16: Angola vs Mauritius (15h00, Ngoni Mwos Stadium
