22 May 2026 – Head Coach of the South African U17 Women’s National team, Ntombifuthi Khumalo, says an away win will be key for her team out in Tanzania in the first leg second round FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
The match will take place on Saturday, 23 May 2026 at the New Aman Stadium in Zanzibar. Kickoff is at 16h00 SA Time.
Bantwana left for Tanzania on Tuesday and have managed to put in a couple of training sessions to round off their preparations. Khumalo says her charges are ready and are eyeing maximum points.
“The qualifiers are all about winning, you lose a game and you run the risk of being knocked out of the qualifiers. Having said that, it will be very important for us to get maximum points here in Zanzibar and make things a little bit better for ourselves when we return home for the second leg. If you manage a win away you put yourselves in a good position to proceed to the next stage, which is the final one in this competition. We don’t have injuries and I believe the team is ready,” said Khumalo.
South Africa progressed to the second round after their opponents, the Central African Republic (CAR), withdrew from the qualifiers, denying Bantwana a chance to test themselves. On the other hand, the host nation saw off the challenge of Botswana over two legs to set up a meeting with Khumalo’s charges.
The return fixture between the two nations will be played on Sunday, 31 May in South Africa. The third and final round is set for July.
Twenty-four (24) nations will go into battle at the World Cup where Africa has been allocated five slots, including hosts Morocco. Twenty (20) teams have already booked their tickets to the women’s youth global showpiece, and only the African representatives remain unconfirmed.
QUALIFIED TEAMS FOR THE WORLD CUP:
- CAF (Africa): Host nation Morocco
The remaining four still to be determined - AFC (Asia):
(Australia, China, Japan, North Korea (defending champions) - CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean):
Canada,. Mexico, Puerto Rico, USA - CONMEBOL (South America):
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela - OFC (Oceania):
New Zealand, Samoa - UEFA (Europe):
Germany, France, Norway, Spain, Poland
South African Football: Orlando Pirates is another major club, known for its rich history and fierce rivalry with Kaizer Chiefs.