Angola Storm Into Semis as Amajimbos Light Up COSAFA U17 Qualifiers
Osvaldo José Costa of Angola celebrates goal during the 2026 CAF TotalEnegies U17 AFCON, COSAFA Qualifiers football match between Angola and Lesotho at Ngoni Mwos Stadium in Harare, Zimbabwe on 14 September 2025 ©Nokwanda Zondi/BackpagePix
Angola became the first team to book a semifinal spot at the TotalEnergies CAF U17 AFCON 2026 | COSAFA Qualifiers in Harare after thumping Lesotho 5-0 in Group C on Sunday.
The Palanquinhas were ruthless, with Paulo Luvumbo bagging a hat-trick, while Eliseu Francisco and Costantino Chianica also got on the scoresheet. The result leaves Angola top of the pool on six points, mathematically untouchable with one round left.
Lesotho, Botswana, and Mauritius now fight only for pride after the latter two cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw. Marcus Koketso converted a penalty for Botswana before Paw Kee equalised for Mauritius early in the second half.
In Group B, defending champions Zambia crashed out after a 2-1 defeat to Malawi. Albert Kunda’s opener gave the Junior Chipolopolo hope, but a brace from James Lumbe — including a coolly taken penalty — flipped the script.
South Africa’s Amajimbos turned on the style in their 5-1 demolition of Madagascar. Despite conceding early, the youngsters roared back as Mpho Molepo converted from the spot, before Thandanani Mhlongo stole the show with a brilliant hat-trick. Inganathi Simama added the fifth in a dominant display that leaves SA and Malawi locked in a straight shootout for top spot.
Meanwhile, Group A reaches boiling point on Monday. With all four teams still alive, victories for Zimbabwe or Eswatini against Comoros and Mozambique respectively could leave the group tied on four points — forcing head-to-head to separate them.
COSAFA U17 Qualifiers Snaps
Group A (wide open)
- Comoros – 4 pts
- Mozambique – 4 pts
- Zimbabwe – 1 pt
- Eswatini – 1 pt
Group B (2-horse race)
- South Africa – 6 pts
- Malawi – 6 pts
- Madagascar – 0 pts (eliminated)
- Zambia – 0 pts (eliminated)
Group C (decided)
- Angola – 6 pts ✅ Qualified
- Lesotho – 3 pts
- Mauritius – 1 pt
- Botswana – 1 pt
🔥 Star Boys of the Weekend
- Thandanani Mhlongo (South Africa) – Hat-trick vs Madagascar
- Paulo Luvumbo (Angola) – Hat-trick vs Lesotho
- James Lumbe (Malawi) – Match-winning brace vs Zambia
⚽ Next up: Group A deciders on Monday — expect fireworks as all four teams fight for survival.
