The South African U17 Men’s National Team (Amajimbos) will begin their preparations for the 2025 U17 CAF AFCON later this month following the draw for the tournament on Thursday.

The South Africa was drawn in Group B in the junior continental showpiece, where 10 nations will qualify for the 2025 FIFA U17 FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar between 5 -27 November 2025.

They will have to get past Burkina Faso, Egypt and the winner of the UNIFFAC region, to book a place in the quarterfinals for automatic qualification for the World Cup.

Head Coach Vela Khumalo has called up 42 players for a training camp to be held from 24 -28 February 2025 at the SAFA Technical Centre where the final squad for the 2025 CAF U17 AFCON will be determined.

Speaking to www.safa.net, Khumalo said that there was still a missing element to the scintillating squad that has captured many hearts over the two-years of preparations under the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS).

“Firstly, we want to express how happy we are to be the third country from the COSAFA region to be going to participate in the 2025 CAF U17 AFCON in Morocco. We were shattered after the COSAFA semifinals in December 2024 where we lost 2-1 to Zambia,” said Khumalo.

“We believe we have a great team that has to be seen by the world, and we will be going to the AFCON to ensure that we book a place in the FIFA U17 World Cup. We have called up 42 players to our training camp before deciding on the final squad for the AFCON. We will have a look at other players that may have peaked over the last year, players who may have been on our radar since 2024 and players that we may need to call up to reinforce the team.

“We are excited about the prospects of 2025 and the endless possibilities for this group of players. We are also happy with the draw but will be watching the UNIFAC tournament very closely to study our last opponent of Group B.”

The 2025 CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Morocco from 30 March – 19 April 2025.