Two members of the Orlando Pirates Reserves squad will be on show when South Africa Under-20 embark on their qualification journey for the AFCON U20 tournament that will be held in Egypt next year.
Amajita have been drawn in Group C of the COSAFA Men’s U20 Championship, where they will be vying for at least a spot in the final, which will guarantee them a spot in the continent showpiece event kicking off on 18 February 2023. The semifinalists in Egypt will automatically qualify for the 2023 FIFA Men’s U20 World Cup in Indonesia.
The squad named for the competition includes Bucs rising stars Mohau Nkota and Relebohile Ratomo, who will be among the hopefuls for a spot in South Africa’s opening game against Malawi this Saturday.
Kimberly-born Nkota made his Reserve League breakthrough during the 2021/22 season, netting an impressive eight goals during the opening half of the campaign which was cut short by a long-term injury.
He will be donning national colours alongside one of the latest additions to the Bucs Reserves in fellow attacker Ratomo, who announced himself in the DStv Diski Challenge by netting a brace in the 3-2 Soweto Derby win against rivals Kaizer Chiefs.
Twelve teams are scheduled to take part in the championship, held in the Kingdom of Eswatini for the first time in history, with SA U20 grouped alongside Malawi, Namibia, and Comoros.
South Africa take on Namibia two days after their opener against Malawi, before concluding their group fixtures with a game against Comoros on Wednesday, 12 October.
The three group winners will automatically qualify for the semifinals, alongside the best-placed runner-up before the final which gets underway on Sunday, the 16th.
