Windhoek, Namibia, 6 May 2025 | Defending champions Zambia and Mozambique will clash in Group B at the Hage Geingob Stadium in the opening game of the COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship to be played in Windhoek, Namibia from May 10-17.
Saturday’s fixture will kick-off at 12h00 CAT (10h00 GMT) and will be broadcast on FIFA+.
It will be followed by the Group A opener between hosts Namibia and Malawi at 15:00 CAT (13h00 GMT). All matches in the competition will be played at the Hage Geingob Stadium.
The opening game in Group C is played on Sunday as Lesotho take on Botswana (12h00 CAT / 10h00 GMT), with the group fixtures to be completed on May 14.
The semifinals will take place on May 16, with the final and third-place play-off to be staged on May 17.
The deciding match will take place at 14h00 CAT (12h00 GMT) where the champion for 2025 will be crowned.
The previous five editions of the COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship have seen four different winners, the first two trophies claimed by guest nations.
Uganda pipped South Africa to the title in 2019, before Tanzania edged Zambia on penalties the following year.
Zambia did lift the trophy in 2021 with a thumping 4-0 victory over Botswana in the decider, before South Africa edged the Zambian 4-3 in a thrilling decider in 2022.
There was no competition played in 2023, but it returned to the calendar in 2024, with Zambia claiming a resounding 15-0 win over Lesotho in the decider.
Though early days, several players who have competed in this competition in the past have gone on to become senior internationals.
The very first finals in 2019 created history when South Africa set a record for an international match in Africa by defeating Seychelles 28-0 in the pool stages.
But over the years the games have become much tighter as teams in this age-group around the region become more competitive.
