24 February 2019 – The South African U-20 Men’s National Team has been drawn in Group F of the 2019 FIFA U-20 Men’s World Cup taking place in May. Amajita will face Portugal, Korea DPR and Argentina.

The 22nd edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup kicks off in less than 90 days, and two major milestones were reached this weekend as the tournament in Poland approaches.

Grzywek, a Polish bison, was unveiled as the tournament’s Official Mascot on Saturday 23 February, while the following day the 24 participating teams discovered who they will face at the world’s most important youth tournament after the group stage draw was made at the Gdynia Arena in Poland.

FIFA legends Bebeto, who won the U-20 World Cup in 1983 and the FIFA World Cup™ in 1994; and Fernando Couto, who lifted the U-20 title in 1989, made the draw in front of numerous coaches and icons of Polish football.

Hosts Poland will face Colombia in the opening match on 23 May and have been drawn in the same group as Senegal – all three sides met at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia during the group stage.

“The FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1983 was one of the highlights of my career,” said Bebeto. “Not only because of the matches but also because of the atmosphere, the stadiums and the whole event. As a country with a great footballing history and tradition, Poland will undoubtedly stage a fantastic tournament.”

“I know from personal experience that the U-20 World Cup is extremely demanding and exciting,” said Couto. “Anybody could win it. A lot of teams could go a long way, including the hosts. Polish fans and visiting supporters can look forward to a spectacular competition where there will be lots of attacking football on show.”

The groups at a glance:

Group A: Poland, Colombia, Tahiti, Senegal

Group B: Meixco, Italy, Japan, Ecuador

Group C: Honduras, New Zealand, Uruguay, Norway

Group D: Qatar, Nigeria, Ukraine, USA

Group E: Panama, Mali, France, Saudi Arabia

Group F: Portugal, Korea Republic, Argentina, South Africa

(source: FIFA.com)