The Under-20 football competitions for men and women at the Region 5 Games in Windhoek, Namibia are set to kick off on Friday, with new champions set to be crowned in the COSAFA region.
There are eight teams in each competition, divided into two pools of four teams each. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the semifinals. The host country, Namibia, is in Group A of the Men’s competition, along with Angola, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.
Group B features reigning COSAFA champions South Africa, Zambia, Eswatini, and Botswana. The top two teams from each group will progress to the semifinals.
In the Women’s competition, Namibia is the seeded team in Group A and will face Malawi, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. Group B sees COSAFA champions Zambia as the top seed, going up against South Africa, Eswatini, and Angola.
Matches will be played at two venues in Windhoek, with the men’s games mostly taking place at the Hage Geingob Stadium, and the women’s matches at the UNAM Stadium. The action kicks off with a Group A clash between Malawi and Zimbabwe on Friday at 12:00 PM CAT, followed by Namibia taking on Angola at 3:00 PM CAT at the Hage Geingob Stadium.
Group B will start on Saturday with Eswatini facing Botswana at 12:00 PM CAT, followed by South Africa against Zambia at 3:00 PM CAT, also at the Hage Geingob Stadium.
The women’s competition begins with a Group A match between Botswana and Zimbabwe on Friday at 12:00 PM CAT, and Namibia playing against Malawi at 3:00 PM CAT at the UNAM Stadium.
On Saturday, Group B action starts with Eswatini taking on Angola at 12:00 PM CAT, followed by a highly anticipated match between Zambia and South Africa at 3:00 PM CAT, also at the UNAM Stadium.
Fans can expect exciting and competitive matches as the teams battle it out to be crowned champions in the COSAFA region.
