Men’s Under-20 COSAFA Championship in Numbers

The 2025 COSAFA Men’s Under-20 Championship is to be staged as part of the Region 5 Games in Windhoek, Namibia from July 4-13 as the top young talent in the region gather to showcase their potential.

We round up the numbers on the rich 42-year history of the competition in its  various guises.

0 – The only final to finish goalless was in 2001 when Zambia needed a penalty shoot-out to beat Angola 5-3 on spot-kicks. The only other final to go to a shoot-out was in 2018 when South Africa defeated Zimbabwe 4-3 after a 1-1 draw.

1 – This will be the first time ever that Namibia hosts the prestigious competition.

2 – The highest finish for any guest nation was the silver medal Kenya won in 2013 when they lost 2-0 to South Africa in the final. There are no guests teams in this year’s field as it is part of the Region 5 Games.

3 – Angola lost three finals in a row between 2000 and 2002. They made the deciding match in 2011 but lost once more. They have yet to win the regional title.

3 – South Africa became the third side from the COSAFA region to be crowned African champions when they lifted the continental title in Egypt in May 2025, after Angola (2001) and Zambia (2017).

4 – South Africa’s Lee Jody Ah Shene finished top scorer at the last COSAFA Under-20 Championship in Mozambique and would go on to help the country become African champions in the continental finals in Egypt.

4 – Zambia hold the record for the most title wins in a row, four, in the championships that were played between 1993 and 1999.

5 – Zambia have won five of the last 10 COSAFA Men’s Under-20 Championships played, with South Africa breaking their run in 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2024, and Mozambique in 2020.

5 – Only five nations have won the COSAFA Under-20 Championships – Zambia (12 times), South Africa (9), Zimbabwe (6), Madagascar (1) and Mozambique (1).

7 – The biggest victories in the competition have been by seven-goal margins and have all come since 2020! South Africa defeated Lesotho 7-0 (2020), hosts Eswatini beat Mauritius by the same scoreline (2022) and Angola thumped Seychelles 8-1 (2022). Those nine goals are the most ever scored in a single game.

8 – The number of teams that are scheduled to compete in this year’s Championships – hosts Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

9 – Angola’s Ambrosini Salvador finished top-scorer at the 2019 COSAFA Men’s Under-20 Championships with six goals, and was then joint top-scorer in 2020 with a further three.

9 – The most number of goals scored in a single final – South Africa defeated Zambia 5-4 in 2004!

12 – The number of titles won by Zambia, the most successful nation in the history of the COSAFA Under-20 Championships.

55 – The number of goals scored at the last COSAFA Men’s Under-20 Championships in 2024 in just 18 games, with an average of 3.06 goals per game.

1983 – The first time a regional competition was staged for junior teams. It was won by Zambia.

2000 – The first time a nation other than Zambia or Zimbabwe lifted the trophy – South Africa claimed the prize in 2000.

2005 – Madagascar became just the fourth country to lift the trophy after Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.