By Ntokozo Magongo
MBABANE – The Eswatini National team, Girls Under-17 will make the long-awaited debut in the COSAFA Championships on Wednesday against Lesotho, kick-off 11am.
The local side will kick-off the tournament at the UJ AW Muller Stadium, Johannesburg.
The team had missed all the previous four editions of the tournaments hosted by the Council of Southern African Football Association (COSAFA). The tournament that features 12 teams would be played in Johannesburg, stadium being the UJ AW Muller Stadium and UJ B Soweto Stadium
Eswatini is in group A against Lesotho, Mozambique and Comoros.
The fixtures were released by COSAFA.
They will be back in action against Mozambique and face Comoros on their last group match with the games to be played at the UJ B Soweto Stadium and UJ B Soweto Stadium respectively.
This tournament aims to provide international football for girls in this age-group, vital experience that will no doubt hold them in good stead as they develop through to the senior national team.
Meanwhile, the Under-17 Boys will start their campaign on Thursday (December 5, 2024) against Zimbabwe and next will be Namibia with the last game against Zambia.
Eswatini was drawn in the boy’s tournament in Group B against Zimbabwe, Namibia and Zambia.
The Boys’ competition will also serves as a qualifier for the continental Under-17 finals that are to be staged in Cote d’Ivoire next year.
In both tournaments, the group stage fixtures continue through to December 9, with the semi-finals to be staged two days later and the final at UJ Soweto Campus on December 13, 2024 at 3pm for the boys while for the girls the finals will be played at the same venue, earlier at 11am.
Only the top team in each pool advances to the semifinals along with the best-placed runner-up, providing little margin for error.
The local teams left the country on Mondat after they were bid farewell by the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) President Peter ‘Samora’ Simelane and Chief Executive Officer 9CEO) Frederick Mngomezulu.
