U-17 AFCON: South Africa coach Khumalo seeks quarterfinal glory

Photo Credit: South African Football Association

South Africa U-17 head coach Vela Khumalo has stated that reaching the semifinals of the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations is their goal as his team prepares to face hosts Morocco on Thursday. The Amajimbos are aiming for a spot in the last four after securing their qualification for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the group stage.

Khumalo mentioned that South Africa took two days of rest to analyze their performance:

“We worked on our deficiencies, asking ourselves what we did wrong and what we did right. We looked at ways to improve going forward, which is something we worked on yesterday and today (Wednesday) to build upon,” he said.

Khumalo also emphasized that they know what to expect from their opponents:

“We are well aware of what is at stake. We know we’re playing against a team that has not taken the moment lightly and has been scoring goals. We did our homework and studied them. We looked at how they play, and importantly, they play more like us—more structured. It is a team that will come at us, so it will be a very interesting game, and we are hoping to upset the host nation, which is really our intention.”

South Africa aims to reach their second U-17 AFCON semifinal at the expense of Morocco. The Amajimbos' best-ever finish in the competition came at the 2015 edition hosted in Niger when South Africa finished as runners-up to Mali.