ZIMBABWE is set to host the men’s Under-17 Cosafa Championship from tomorrow to September 20, 2025.
The matches will be held at Ngoni Stadium in Norton and Heart Stadium in Harare.
This marks the first time Zimbabwe has hosted the tournament since the Cosafa schools’ event in Harare in December 2023.
The Cosafa tournament serves as a crucial qualifier for both the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) and the 2026 World Cup.
The competition will feature 12 teams, with an average of 30 people per team, bringing a total of 360 participants from 12 different countries, including the host nation, Zimbabwe.
All teams will be vying for a spot at the Afcon and World Cup.
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At a Press conference held in Harare yesterday, Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) Local Organising Committee chairperson Thomas Marambanyika expressed his excitement.
“We are very much excited about the opportunities that have been unveiled by Cosafa to allow us in Zimbabwe to host these matches,” he said.
“I think that this actually resonates very well with our strategic plan as Zifa, whereby we want to have a cohesive football ecosystem that will transform Zimbabwean football.”
Marambanyika further stated that a competition of this magnitude will significantly contribute to the growth of football in the country.
“There are programmes that normally come with hosting Cosafa tournaments,” he said.
“And specifically for this one, we have three key programmes being run during this tournament.
“We have the referees training workshop, which is underway from the 5th of September.
“We find that it also unlocked another new opportunity in Zimbabwe when it comes to the use of VAR.”
He added: “Then we also have the technical group, which is underway starting today at one of the local hotels.”
The technical workshop is designed to equip football stakeholders with the critical technical expertise needed to run the games successfully.
Echoing this sentiment, Felix Tangawarima, Cosafa referees manager, highlighted that a number of Zimbabwean referees have been trained and will be using VAR for the first time in the country.
“By hosting this tournament, we have actually incorporated 10 local referees being trained to be compliant with VAR,” he said.
“And in addition to the 10, we also have about five who are actually included in the tournament as tournament referees.
“Our referees are prepared and ready to go.”
The Cosafa tournament is set to kick off tomorrow at Ngoni Stadium.
Zimbabwe’s last triumph in the championship came in 2018, while Zambia will be looking to secure their third title.