Vela Khumalo, head coach of South Africa’s U-17 national team, has shared his thoughts on the draw for the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), describing the outcome as both “interesting” and “intriguing.”
The draw, conducted in Cairo on Thursday, February 13, placed the “Amajimbos” in Group B alongside Burkina Faso, Egypt, and the yet-to-be-confirmed winners of the UNIFFAC qualifiers.
The tournament, set to take place in Morocco from March 30 to April 19, will also serve as a qualifier for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Khumalo, who also serves as a youth coach for Kaizer Chiefs FC, acknowledged the challenge posed by their group, which includes Burkina Faso, the bronze medalists from the last edition, and Egypt, the 2009 champions.
Khumalo emphasized the importance of identifying the fourth team in their group to finalize preparations.
“This is a very interesting group. Very intriguing as well. At the same time, one is still hanging in there to see who the other team will be.
“Is it Cameroon, Congo, Central Africa Republic or Gabon. At the moment we still waiting but very interesting group and we look forward to getting the finalisation and seeing the fourth team and take it from there,” said Khumalo.
This year’s tournament marks South Africa’s fifth appearance at the U-17 AFCON. Their best performance came in 2015 when they reached the final but were narrowly defeated by Mali.
Khumalo and his team will aim to build on past experiences and make a strong push for the title, with the ultimate goal of securing a spot in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
