Amajita Retain COSAFA U-20 Title With 2-1 Victory Over Mozambique

South Africa’s Amajita successfully defended their COSAFA Under-20 title after defeating hosts Mozambique 2-1 in a closely contested final at ABB Stadium 1 on Sunday.

The victory completed a perfect campaign for South Africa, who won all five of their matches during the tournament and secured back-to-back regional championships. The result also confirmed Amajita’s place at the 2027 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana, with Mozambique joining them as the COSAFA region’s second representative.

Booysen breaks the deadlock

Amajita made the breakthrough in the 28th minute when Oarabile Booysen produced a superb long-range strike to put South Africa 1-0 ahead.

The lead, however, lasted only two minutes.

Mozambique responded almost immediately through Martinho Começar, who found the equaliser in the 30th minute to restore parity and send the two sides into the break level at 1-1.

With the hosts enjoying strong support from the home crowd, the final remained finely balanced as both teams looked for the decisive moment.

Mendes delivers from the penalty spot

That moment arrived in the 58th minute.

South Africa were awarded a penalty and Steven Mendes made no mistake from the spot, restoring Amajita’s lead and putting them within touching distance of another COSAFA crown.

The goal was particularly significant for Mendes, who had already been one of South Africa’s standout performers throughout the competition.

His sixth goal of the tournament secured the Golden Boot, making him the leading scorer of the 2026 COSAFA U-20 competition.

Mozambique pushed for another equaliser during the closing stages, but South Africa’s defence held firm to protect the 2-1 advantage.

The hosts were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time when Milton Macombe was shown a red card for a stamp on Mendes while the South African forward was on the ground.

A perfect tournament for Amajita

The victory capped an outstanding campaign for South Africa.

Amajita finished the tournament unbeaten, winning all five of their matches while scoring 13 goals and conceding just three.

They had also recorded three consecutive clean sheets at the beginning of the competition before overcoming Zambia in the semi-finals and Mozambique in the final.

Their semi-final against Zambia ended in a 4-2 victory, with Mendes again playing a key role as South Africa booked their place in the final and secured qualification for the continental tournament.

Mendes, Mazhamba among tournament award winners

South Africa’s success was reflected in the individual awards.

Steven Mendes finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with six goals and collected the Golden Boot.

Goalkeeper Takalani Mazhamba was rewarded for his performances with the Golden Glove, while Mozambique’s Alírio Cuna was named Player of the Tournament after scoring five goals.

Namibia received the Fair Play Award.

The individual recognition further underlined South Africa’s strong showing throughout the competition.

Mozambique secure AFCON qualification despite final defeat

Although Mozambique fell short in the final, their run to the decider proved enough to secure their place at the 2027 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana alongside South Africa.

The hosts had produced an impressive tournament of their own, reaching the final after overcoming Namibia 3-0 in their semi-final.

Alírio Cuna was particularly influential for the Young Mambas, finishing with five goals and earning the Player of the Tournament award.

South Africa’s youth development continues to deliver

Amajita’s latest COSAFA triumph adds another important achievement to South Africa’s recent progress at youth level.

The team’s back-to-back regional titles, combined with qualification for the U-20 AFCON, provide another opportunity for the country’s emerging talents to test themselves against the continent’s best young players.

South Africa will now turn their attention to the continental stage in Ghana, where they will look to build on their recent success and continue developing players capable of making the transition to senior international football.

For now, however, the focus is on celebrating another COSAFA championship.

Amajita are champions again — and they did it with a perfect five-win campaign.