The Namibia Football Association (NFA) Youth Development Department has announced a provisional squad of 43 players for the 2026 U20 COSAFA Championship.
The draw was conducted in South Africa on Wednesday, setting the stage for the Southern African regional youth football showpiece, which will be hosted by Mauritius from 18 to 29 September 2026.
Namibia has been drawn in Group A alongside hosts Mauritius, Seychelles and Mozambique.
Speaking ahead of the training camp, NFA Youth Development Officer Hennie Kavendjii said the camp will focus on enhancing the players’ technical understanding while assessing their performances and adaptability.
“We selected players who performed well at the Nedbank Newspaper Cup, which was held in April. The FA also looked at players who participated in the 2025 edition of the Region Five and are still eligible to play, as well as a few players from the Westphalia team,” Kavendjii said.
In addition to locally based players, the technical team is also assessing foreign-based players plying their trade in Spain, South Africa, Belgium, England and Australia.
The first camping session will take place from 24 to 28 August in Windhoek, where the technical team will assess the players and select the final 25-man squad that will travel to Mauritius for the tournament.
The stakes will be particularly high, with the COSAFA U20 champions and runners-up earning qualification to the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to take place in Ghana in 2027. Ghana was awarded the hosting rights for the youth continental tournament by CAF in April, with the competition set to coincide with the country’s 70th anniversary of independence.
The Young Warriors have enjoyed memorable moments in the history of the COSAFA U20 competition, including reaching the final in 2010 their best finish in the tournament to date. Namibia have also previously reached the semi-finals, underlining their potential to compete with the region’s strongest youth sides.
