South Africa and Angola, certain of their spots in the continental finals for the following year, will face off in the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2026 | COSAFA Qualifier in Harare on Saturday.
In Thursday’s semifinals at Ngoni Stadium, South Africa easily defeated Comoros 7-0 to advance to the final, while Angola defeated Mozambique 1-0 in a fierce Lusophone Derby.
Comoros and Mozambique will battle in the third-place play-off on Saturday for COSAFA’s final slot at the 2026 U-17 AfCON.
Angola head coach Mario Catala praised his team’s resilience against Mozambique.
“During the second half, Mozambique came back and had opportunities, and in the last 30 minutes we went down. But there was a spirit of sacrifice from our players, and we carried it throughout the game,” he said. “With all due respect, South Africa has a very good team. Angola does not promise to win, but we promise to fight until the end.”
South Africa coach Vela Khumalo hailed his squad’s performance and preparation.
“The boys and technical team worked hard to reach this target. The main goal was to qualify for AFCON, and I’m happy we achieved it,” Khumalo said.
“Credit goes to all the development coaches in South Africa who prepared these boys. Despite limited preparation time, the players executed our plan perfectly. To score seven goals in a semifinal is special. We’re happy, and now we focus on the final.”
The third-place playoff kicks off at 11:00 CAT, while the final will be at 14:00 CAT.
