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South African under 17 national football team, Amajimbos.
The South African under-17 national football team has achieved its first, advancing to the round of 32 at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar.
Amajimbos achieved this feat for the very first time and despite a 3-1 defeat to European champions, Italy, last night.
South African U17 Men’s National team Head Coach Vela Khumalo reflects on the clash against Italy in the final match of the group stages at the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar pic.twitter.com/FQZBY6CE9y
— SAFA.net (@SAFA_net) November 10, 2025
It was a gutsy performance by the South African national under-17 team in Qatar and Amajimbos defied the odds. Even though there was a cloud over their heads before jetting off to the Under-17 World Cup due to lack of preparation, they’ve qualified to the knockout stage.
But coach Vela Khumalo and his team were first to admit that the match against Italy was litmus test for Amajimbos.
“We played a very structured team. I’ve been saying it … a very tactically superior team. I think we tried our level best. There were moments where I thought we were in the game and we contained them. You could tell that this is a team that is well-oiled, playing very good football and you could tell that they’ve been together for a quite some time,” says Khumalo.
Khumalo believes that if Amajimbos had proper preparation for the World Cup tournament, they would’ve been a different, more energised team.
Amajimbos head coach Vela Khumalo expresses joy after his squad advanced to the knockout stages of the FIFA U17 World Cup 2025 currently underway in Doha, Qatar pic.twitter.com/AUpw2HL9rh
— SAFA.net (@SAFA_net) November 10, 2025
“If we had a little bit of time, I think we could have been a little better team. It’s a make-shift team. We have Malinga playing as a right back and we all know that he is an attacker. We are converting and patching. It’s one of those things but it’s okay. We are playing against the best in the world and we must not take that for granted,” he adds.
The future for South African football is bright. This talent now needs to be nurtured on and off the field.
“The players that we have are going to make the country very proud and they will grow and become better players. I hope that with whoever we get, we execute our plan to the letter. If we can do it right then anything is possible. In the knockout stage, anything and everything is possible. We are playing on Friday and we still have time to recuperate and regenerate. It’s time for them to do assessments for school and it’s a good time for them to concentrate on their exams,” says Khumalo.
Amajimbos will play their round of 32 match on Friday against an opponent yet-to-be confirmed.
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