6 March 2025 – The South African U17 men’s national team has qualified for the FIFA U17 World Cup to be held in Qatar from 3–27 November 2025.
Coach Vela Khumalo’s side achieved the feat after they finished as runners-up to Group B winners Burkina Faso at the CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) currently underway in Morocco. The South Africans lost their final Group B match 0-2 to Burkina Faso on Sunday night, but the result had no bearing on the final standings as they qualified for the World Cup and the quarterfinals of AFCON.
Khumalo said he was elated for his players after their achievement.
“Let me take this opportunity to thank each and every South African who rallied behind us. This is a great moment and a big achievement. I made it clear that more than anything else we wanted to qualify for the World Cup, so it is mission accomplished. I am very excited and delighted despite this last result (the defeat to Burkina Faso), where I think we still played well. We did not convert our chances and we need to be a little bit more aggressive and direct. I’m excited, happy, so happy for the boys, and happy for myself.”
Khumalo said they are now looking forward to seeing where their journey in the U17 AFCON takes them without the pressure of qualifying for the World Cup weighing on their shoulders.
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