ZAMBIA and South Africa face off this evening in their most significant COSAFA junior derby today in a destiny-defining Group A 2025 TotalEnergues U20 AFCON fixture in Cairo.
Stakes are high for coach Boyd Mulwanda’s unbeaten Zambia, who play the team that defeated them 2-0 in the 2024 COSAFA finals that sealed tickets for the two teams at this 17th edition of the junior AFCON tournament.
Group A is tight with any of the top four teams having a chance to finish top of the group.
South Africa stands in Zambia’s way but coach Mulwanda urged his lads to eye a quarter finals spot and avenge the COSAFA finals defeat suffered in Mozambique.
South Africa are second on 6 points, Zambia are third on 5 points and hosts Egypt fourth on 4 points who play Tanzania today.
All the three teams are jostling to topple leaders Sierra Leone in the race to the quarterfinals, who have 7 points and have wrapped up their four Group A matches but their last eight ticket is yet to be confirmed.
The top two finishers automatically qualify to the quarterfinals , while one of two best third place finishers is in the offing.
Such is the matrix that Zambia must overcome to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 2017.
By FAZ Media
