Zambia Set To Learn COSAFA U-20 Championship Path
Zambia will discover their opponents for the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2027 COSAFA Qualifier when the official draw takes place on Wednesday, August 12.
The draw will be streamed live on the COSAFA YouTube Channel from 13:00 Zambian time, with 12 nations set to learn their group-stage paths for the regional tournament.
The COSAFA Under-20 Championship will be held in Mauritius from September 18 to 27, with Zambia joined by Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles and South Africa.
Zambia have been placed in Pot 1 and automatically assigned to Group C as the record holders of the regional competition. Hosts Mauritius will head Group A, while defending champions South Africa will occupy the top position in Group B.
The remaining teams have been divided into three pots based on their performances in the last three regional competitions.
Angola, Malawi and Mozambique are in Pot 1 alongside Zambia, while Botswana, Namibia and Eswatini make up Pot 2. Comoros, Lesotho and Seychelles are in Pot 3.
The 12 teams will be divided into three groups of four, with a second draw determining the specific position of each team within their respective group.
For Zambia, the tournament presents another opportunity to reclaim regional dominance and secure a place at the continental finals.
The junior Chipolopolo are the most successful team in COSAFA Under-20 Championship history, having won a record 12 titles. Zambia were the inaugural champions in 1983 and dominated the early years of the competition alongside Zimbabwe.
However, Zambia will be looking to bounce back after losing the 2024 final 2-0 to South Africa in Mozambique. South Africa subsequently retained the regional crown at the 2025 Region 5 Games in Namibia, defeating Malawi 3-0 in the final.
South Africa now have 10 COSAFA Under-20 titles and will enter this year’s tournament as both regional and continental champions, having won the 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The 2026 COSAFA tournament carries significant importance beyond regional honours, with the competition serving as the qualifying pathway to the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations Ghana 2027.
At the previous COSAFA qualifier in 2024, Zambia and South Africa reached the final and secured the region’s two places at the continental championship.
The 2027 continental finals will be hosted by Ghana in February and March next year, giving the young Chipolopolo another major target as they aim to return to the African stage.
Zambia will therefore enter the Mauritius tournament with history on their side, but with South Africa emerging as a strong regional rival, the road to Ghana promises to be highly competitive.
