12 March 2020 – South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have been drawn in a Group of Death at the 2020 COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship that will be staged in Mauritius from April 17-26.
The heavyweight trio are in Group B along with Comoros Islands, and with only the top two teams in each pool advancing to the semifinals, it will be a fascinating fight to see who progresses.
Group A contains hosts Mauritius, Botswana, Eswatini and Malawi, which is also an intriguing pool from which there are no obvious candidates to advance.
The draw was conducted in Johannesburg on Wednesday and is the start of the countdown to the second ever championships in this age-group for women.
Uganda were the inaugural winners in 2019 when they defeated South Africa 2-1 in the final that was also played in Mauritius.
The two venues earmarked for the tournament are Saint Francois Xavier Stadium in Port Louis and the Auguste Vollaire Stadium in Flacq.
COSAFA returns to the islands for a fifth year in a row, after the Mauritius Football Association also staged the Men’s Under-17 Championship between 2016 and 2018.
The COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship is the first of six tournaments, three each in the men’s and women’s category, that are scheduled to be staged in 2020.
2020 COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship Draw:
Group A
Mauritius
Botswana
Eswatini
Malawi
Group B
South Africa
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Comoros Islands