The U17 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is officially underway, as hosts Morocco were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Tunisia in an intense North African derby in Group A on Wednesday evening.
In other matches, Egypt and Ethiopia played to a goalless draw, keeping Group A open, while Uganda made a strong start to their campaign with a convincing 3-0 victory over debutants DR Congo, leading Group B ahead of the Ivory Coast, who secured an impressive 2-0 win over Cameroon.
South Africa will open their Group D account against a tough Senegal side at the Complex Mohammed VI. The game is scheduled to get underway at 6pm and will be live on CAF TV.
Other teams that complete Group D include Algeria and Ghana, and Amajimbos coach Vela Khumalo is optimistic that they will get the job done and ultimately be among the top 10 African teams that qualify for the World Cup in Qatar in November.
Mission to qualify for World Cup
“What we have seen is that we stand a good chance, and we can get out of this group,” Khumalo said ahead of the competition.
“We know that Senegal is a little bit physical, and they are big; the same goes with Ghana. Algeria is somewhat similar to us. We have done our analysis on all of them, and we think we can do well.
“We have given ourselves a mandate that we want to do well and qualify for the World Cup. In addition, we said that going to the World Cup is not about getting out of the group stages, but we also want to see ourselves going further in the tournament.
“This squad is the same team that played in the Cosafa U17 Men’s Cup and won it. We added about four players to strengthen the team and rotate them.
“Remember the Afcon is an annual tournament, and you bring in the younger ones too, and we also have some that went to the World Cup last year, so this move is to balance the team, as we are aware that there is again the Cosafa coming up later this year,” he added.
After the Senegal test, Amajimbos will be followed by the second fixture against Algeria on Sunday and will play their final group stage match against Ghana next Wednesday.
- The U17 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) has started, with hosts Morocco drawing 1-1 against Tunisia in Group A.
- Egypt and Ethiopia also drew 0-0, while Uganda defeated DR Congo 3-0 and Ivory Coast beat Cameroon 2-0 in Group B.
- South Africa will face Senegal in their Group D opener, with coach Vela Khumalo optimistic about qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar.
- Khumalo emphasized their goal not only to qualify but also to advance further in the tournament, highlighting a balanced squad with players from the Cosafa U17 Men’s Cup.
- South Africa’s Group D matches include games against Senegal, Algeria, and Ghana as they aim to secure top placement and World Cup qualification.
In other matches, Egypt and
“What we have seen is that we stand a good chance, and we can get out of this group,”
“We know that Senegal is a little bit physical, and they are big; the same goes with Ghana. Algeria is somewhat similar to us. We have done our analysis on all of them, and we think we can do well.
“We have given ourselves a mandate that we want to do well and qualify for the World Cup. In addition, we said that going to the World Cup is not about getting out of the group stages, but we also want to see ourselves going further in the tournament.
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After the Senegal test,
