Zambia have been drawn alongside old rivals Malawi in Group C of the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for the COSAFA region, which will be held in Mauritius from 18-27 September.
The 12-time regional champions will also face Comoros and Botswana in a group that promises to be tightly contested, with only the group winners and the best runner-up advancing to the semi-finals.
The two finalists will qualify for the 2027 TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, with the continental tournament also serving as the pathway towards the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Defending regional champions South Africa have been handed a difficult Group B alongside Angola, Lesotho and Eswatini, while hosts Mauritius will face Namibia, Seychelles and Mozambique in Group A.
Zambia are the most successful nation in the history of the COSAFA Under-20 competition, having won a record 12 titles. They were the inaugural champions in 1983 and claimed six of the first nine editions.
Their most recent final appearance came in 2024, when they lost 2-0 to South Africa in Mozambique. South Africa subsequently retained the regional crown at the 2025 Region 5 Games in Namibia, beating Malawi 3-0 in the final.
The Amajita will arrive in Mauritius as both defending COSAFA champions and reigning African champions after winning the 2025 Under-20 AFCON in Egypt.
Zambia will enter the qualifiers under new head coach Perry Mutapa, who was appointed by the Football Association of Zambia last week.The former Zambia international, who is also head coach of Green Eagles, replaced Boyd Mulwanda.
Mutapa’s first major test will therefore come in Mauritius, where Zambia must negotiate a group featuring familiar rivals Malawi and two potentially difficult opponents in Comoros and Botswana.
All matches will be streamed live on FIFA+ and the COSAFA YouTube channel.
TOTALENERGIES CAF U-20 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS QUALIFIERS | COSAFA DRAW
GROUP A: Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Mozambique
GROUP B: South Africa, Lesotho, Angola, Eswatini
GROUP C: Zambia, Malawi, Comoros, Botswana
