Amajita’s U-20 AFCON history

The 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) gets underway in five days’ time (Sunday, 27 April) and South Africa’s Amajita will feature on the tournament’s opening day in a clash against hosts Egypt.

SA’s U-20s will then go on to face Tanzania (30 April), Sierra Leone (6 May) and Zambia (9 May) in five-team Group A, with the primary goal of reaching the semifinals and thereby securing qualification for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile later this year.

But before coach Raymond Mdaka’s young charges head into battle, let’s take a quick look at Amajita’s U-20 AFCON history.

1997 – Runners Up

Amajita debuted at the 1997 African Youth Championship and made a strong first impression, finishing as runners-up (the team’s all-time best performance at the tournament to date) after losing to host nation Morocco 1-0 in the final. This team included the likes of Matthew Booth, Stanton Fredericks, David Kannemeyer, Junaid Hartley, Steve Lekolea and Benni McCarthy.

2001 and 2003 – Group stage

The 2001 and 2003 Amajita teams fell out of their tournaments, in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso respectively, after failing to progress beyond the group stage.

2009 – Fourth place

In the 2009 tournament in Rwanda, a South African team featuring the likes of Thulani Hlatshwayo, Kamohelo Mokotjo, Daylon Claasen, Michael Morton, Thulani Serero and George Maluleka got to the semifinals before a 4-3 loss to Ghana (who would go on to win the age-group World Cup later that same year) and then lost 2-1 to Nigeria in the third-place playoff.

2011 and 2015 – Group stage

The 2011 and 2015 Amajita teams fell out of their tournaments, on home soil in South Africa and in Senegal respectively, after failing to progress beyond the group stage.

2017 – Fourth place

At the U-20 AFCON in Zambia in 2017, Amajita finished second in Group B behind Senegal, lost after extra time to hosts and ultimate champions Zambia in the semifinals, and then succumbed 2-1 to Guinea in the third-place playoff. This team’s most notable graduate is Bafana Bafana regular Teboho Mokoena, but it also featured the likes of Sipho Mbule, Siyabonga Ngezana, Luther Singh, Grant Margeman and Sandile Mthethwa.

2019 – Third place

South Africa’s most recent appearance at the U-20 AFCON was in 2019 in Niger. This Amajita team, coached by Thabo Senong and featuring the likes of Njabulo Blom, Thabo Moloisane, Keenan Phillips and Nkosingiphile Ngcobo finished second in Group A behind Nigeria, lost 1-0 to Senegal in the semifinals, and then overcame Nigeria on penalties in the third-place playoff.