The South Africa national under-20 football team (Amajita), is a youth football (soccer) team, which represents South Africa and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. The team's main objectives are to qualify and play at the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and FIFA U-20 World Cup. The team has played at nine U-20 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and five FIFA U-20 World Cups.
They are the current U-20 Africa Cup of Nations champions after defeating Morocco in the final held in Cairo on 18 May 2025.
History The team was founded in 1993 and played their first match against Swaziland winning 2–0.
FIFA U-20 World Cup They have qualified for the 1997, 2009, 2017, 2019, and 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Afcon U-20 Amajita were runners-up on debut in 1997 losing 1–0 to hosts Morocco in the final and securing qualification to the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship. They won their maiden U-20 African Cup of Nations title after beating Morocco 1–0 in the final held in Cairo on 18 May 2025.
COSAFA U-20 Cup South Africa have enjoyed sustained success in the COSAFA U‑20 Cup. In 2013, they claimed the title with a 2–0 victory over Kenya in the final held in Lesotho. They secured another championship in 2017, defeating hosts Lesotho 2–1 in the final in Zambia. The team retained the trophy in 2018, overcoming Zimbabwe 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw, again in Zambia.
In 2024, South Africa won their ninth COSAFA U‑20 Cup, beating Zambia 2–0 in the final. They completed the tournament without conceding a goal and qualified for the 2025 U‑20 Africa Cup of Nations. Their tenth title followed in 2025, with a 3–0 win over Malawi in the final in Namibia. In 2026, they captured their eleventh championship by defeating hosts Mozambique 2–1 in the final and after securing qualification for the 2027 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
Player eligibility Players who are selected, will be 20 or younger in the following World Cup year. With the next FIFA U-20 World Cup being held in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in 2027, players need to have been born on or after 1 January 2007.
Results and fixtures The following is a list of match results in the last twelve months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Legend
2025
2026
Current squad The following players were called up for the 2026 COSAFA U-20 Youth Championship between 18 – 27 September 2026.
Notable former players Players who have previously played for the under-20 team, and have since gone on to play for the senior team:
Benni McCarthy Matthew Booth Thulani Serero Stanton Fredericks Thulani Hlatshwayo Darren Keet Andile Jali Junaid Hartley Siyabonga Nomvethe
Tournament records
FIFA U-20 World Cup record U-20 World Cup Hosts/YearResultPositionGPWD*LGSGA1977–1993 Banned 1995did not qualify 1997Group Stage20th3012261999 to 2007did not qualify 2009Round of 1615th411258 2011did not qualify 2013 2015 2017Group Stage21st301214 2019Group Stage19th301237 2023did not qualify 2025Round of 1613th420296 2027 To be determinedRound of 165/251734102031
U-20 Africa Cup of Nations record U-20 Africa Cup of NationsHosts/YearResultGPWD*LGSGA1979 to 1993did not enter 1995did not qualify 1997Second Place521255 1999did not qualify 2001Group Stage301237 2003Group Stage301237 2005did not qualify 2007 2009Fourth Place520389 2011Group Stage310246 2013did not qualify 2015Group Stage310266 2017Fourth Place5204109 2019Third Place513022 2021did not qualify 2023 2025Champions751193 2027qualified
COSAFA U-20 Challenge Cup record COSAFA U-20 Challenge CupHosts/YearResultGPWD*LGSGA1983 to 1990did not enter 1993Quarter-finals420283 1995Second Place513133 1997Unknown 1999Second Place6411156 2000Champions301237 2001Unknown 2002Unknown 2003Unknown 2004ChampionsUnknown 2005Unknown 2006ChampionsUnknown2007Second PlaceUnknown2008ChampionsUnknown 2009Champions4400161 2010Group StageUnknown 2011Group Stage311166 2013Champions541070 2016Second Place5401162 2017Champions550082 2018Champions513022 2019Second Place5311126 2020Group Stage312092 2022Third Place5302117 2024Champions5500160 2025Champions5410133 2026Champions5500133
References
External links South Africa FA official website