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CAF
4 days ago
- Sport
- CAF
South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco learn U-20 World Cup opponents tonight
The four African representatives at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2025—South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, and Morocco—will discover their group stage opponents tonight when the official draw is held in Santiago, Chile. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 22:00 GMT. Twenty-four nations will be drawn into six groups of four, kicking off the countdown to the global showpiece that will take place from 27 September to 19 October 2025 across Chile. South Africa enter the draw as African champions after a resilient campaign at the TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, which culminated in a 1-0 win over Morocco in the final in Cairo. Their reward is a place in Pot 3, alongside Japan, Spain, Australia, Panama, and Norway, ensuring they avoid these teams in the group phase. Nigeria, a powerhouse in youth football and third-place finishers at the U-20 AFCON, benefit from their strong pedigree and are placed in Pot 2. The Flying Eagles join heavyweights such as France, Argentina, and Mexico in that pot, meaning they won't face any of those sides in the initial round. Egypt and Morocco, both semi-finalists at the continental tournament, find themselves in Pot 4. Their lower seeding, due to fewer recent appearances at the U-20 World Cup, increases the likelihood of drawing multiple top-ranked nations, including tournament hosts Chile or former champions Brazil and Italy from Pot 1. With top talents such as Tylon Smith—South Africa's Player of the Tournament—and Moroccan winger Jones El-Abdellaoui set to feature, the African quartet will be keenly watching as their journey in Chile begins to take shape tonight. Africa has a rich history in youth tournaments, and with all four sides showing promise during qualifying, expectations are high for a strong showing. The draw will determine whether the continent's finest young stars can rise to the challenge on the global stage. Fans across the continent can follow news on as the path to Chile 2025 officially begins. Draw procedures The nations will be drawn into six groups of four teams. For the draw, the teams have been allocated into four pots of six teams, according to the FIFA ranking system. As hosts, Chile have automatically been placed in Pot 1. Pot 1: Chile (hosts), Italy, USA, Korea Republic, Brazil, Colombia Pot 2: New Zealand, France, Ukraine, Argentina, Nigeria, Mexico Pot 3: Japan, Spain, South Africa, Australia, Panama, Norway Pot 4: Saudi Arabia, Paraguay, Egypt, Cuba, Morocco, New Caledonia
IOL News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Many, many doors . . . like overseas . . . flying open for Amajita U20 Afcon hero Tylon Smith
Tylon Smith showed composure and creativity in the heart of the Amajita defence in Egypt. Picture: BackpagePix 'They were crying. Especially my mom!' said Tylon Smith after returning from Egypt triumphant after Amajita defeated Morocco 1-0 to be crowned Afcon u20 champions. The Smith household certainly has plenty to celebrate after the Stellenbosch FC rookie centreback was also named Player of the Tournament for his courageous displays in the heart of the South Africa U20 defence, which was capped with the winning goal against the much-fancied Nigeria in the semifinal. The 19-year-old known for his composure on the ball and ability to dictate the tempo from defence, played every minute of Amajita's successful campaign and believes it was his mentality along with mother's prayers that helped him over the past fortnight. 'She was praying for me throughout the whole tournament,' said Smith, who was greeted with a hero's welcome at the Stellenbosch FC awards ceremony on Tuesday night. 'Every day, you know, she texted me … 'Good luck with the game. Just be yourself. God is with you.' 'I feel like my mentality was strong. And, yeah, we lost against Egypt, it was a bit tough, but I knew we will bounce back and we will win this thing. 'And after the goal, I scored against Nigeria in the semi-final. I knew we were gonna win this thing.'
CAF
19-05-2025
- Sport
- CAF
TotalEnergies U-20 AFCON 2025: Best XI unveiled as South Africa dominate
Published: Monday, 19 May 2025 South Africa's golden generation of rising stars were handsomely rewarded for their triumph at the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2025, as the CAF Technical Study Group (TSG) announced the official Best XI of the tournament. Unsurprisingly, newly crowned champions South Africa led the way with four players selected in the tournament's best team, including standout goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe and playmaker Tylon Smith, who was also named the Best Player of the tournament. Lowe, who made the most saves (24) during the competition, was instrumental in keeping three clean sheets, including one in the final against Morocco. His safe hands and calm distribution laid the foundation for South Africa's historic first U-20 AFCON title. Midfielder Tylon Smith, who was the playmaker of his team, capped off a stellar campaign by scoring the winning goal in the semi-final against Nigeria. His ability to dictate play and rally his team in pressure moments earned him the Best Player award and a key role in the tournament's Best XI. Morocco, runners-up in the final, had four players included in the XI – Othmane Maamma, Hossam Essadak, Hamza Koutoune and Faycal Zahouani – a reflection of their strong, possession-based approach throughout the competition. Sierra Leone's Momoh Kamara, who finished as the tournament's top scorer with four goals, was also included, while Egypt's Mohamed Goweily, Nigeria's Daniel Bameyi, and South Africa's Neo Rapoo and Lazola Maku completed the elite lineup. Coach of the tournament honours went to South Africa's Raymond Mdaka, whose tactical discipline and faith in youth delivered a maiden continental crown for the Amajita. 🏆 Recap: Best XI of the Tournament (1-4-2-3-1): Fletcher Lowe (South Africa) Neo Rapoo (South Africa) Mohamed Goweily (Egypt) Othmane Maamma (Morocco) Daniel Bameyi (Nigeria) Lazola Maku (South Africa) Hossam Essadak (Morocco) Faycal Zahouani (Morocco) Hamza Koutoune (Morocco) Momoh Kamara (Sierra Leone) Tylon Smith (South Africa) Best Player: Tylon Smith (South Africa) Top Scorer: Momoh Kamara (Sierra Leone) – 4 goals Best Goalkeeper: Fletcher Lowe (South Africa) Best Coach: Raymond Mdaka (South Africa) Fair Play Award: Morocco
CAF
19-05-2025
- Sport
- CAF
Tylon Smith named Best Player of TotalEnergies CAF U-20 AFCON 2025
Published: Sunday, 18 May 2025 South Africa's Tylon Smith was named Best Player of the TotalEnergies CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2025, following his pivotal role in guiding the Amajita to their first-ever continental title. The 19-year-old midfielder delivered consistently influential performances throughout the tournament and was instrumental in South Africa's 1-0 victory over Morocco in Sunday's final at the Cairo International Stadium. Smith, known for his composure, creativity, and ability to dictate the tempo, scored the crucial semi-final winner against Nigeria and proved vital in linking midfield and attack across the campaign. South Africa capped off a historic tournament by sweeping key individual awards. Goalkeeper Fletcher Lowe was named Best Goalkeeper after keeping four clean sheets and recording the highest number of saves (24) during the tournament. Lowe's composure and reflexes were on full display in the final, where he denied Morocco on several occasions to preserve South Africa's slim lead. While South Africa lifted the trophy and the top two individual honours, Sierra Leone's Momoh Kamara was named the tournament's Top Scorer. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder found the net four times — including a stunning hat-trick against hosts Egypt — and was one of the breakout stars of the competition. Morocco, despite finishing runners-up, were honoured with the Fair Play Award for their discipline and sportsmanship throughout the tournament. Complete List of Award Winners – U-20 AFCON Egypt 2025: Best Player: Tylon Smith (South Africa) Top Scorer: Momoh Kamara (Sierra Leone) – 4 goals Best Goalkeeper: Fletcher Lowe (South Africa) Fair Play Award: Morocco
IOL News
18-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Ashley Makhanya reflects on SA's 1997 Afcon U20 final as Amajita gear up for Morocco title decider
Tylon Smith Defender Tylon Smith (No 14) scored the winning goal for Amajita against Nigeria. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix Ashley Makhanya has relived the hostility the South African Under-20 team endured at the Africa Youth Championships final in 1997 ahead of this year's showdown. Amajita will face Morocco in the youth Afcon final at Cairo International Stadium in Egypt on Sunday night (8pm kick-off). The two teams have already qualified for the Under-20 Fifa World Cup finals, which will take place in September, having qualified for the semi-finals. The Egyptians know all about winning the Afcon, as they have four crowns and lead Nigeria with three. But with Amajita having beaten Nigeria in the semi-finals this week, courtesy of Tylon Smith's goal, they'll want to go all the way and surpass the Class of '97. Makhanya, now 47, was part of the last Amajita team that reached the Afcon final 28 years ago, when they lost 1-0 to Morocco, who were the hosts as well. 'Two days before the game, even from the hotel as you tried to walk to the kitchen, everyone now was on top of us,' reflected Makhanya during an exclusive interview with Independent Media. 'Everyone kept saying, 'You are going to lose'. The chef and drivers who were nice to us – everyone changed. We tried to walk out, and it was terrible. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'On the day of the final, it was even worse – from the hotel to the stadium, the country was red. People were shouting at us and beating our bus. 'It was so full that people were on top of buildings. It was hostile. The police had to work overtime. These people felt like they wanted to grab us. You could see from their faces. 'Others were laying down their mats, and praying outside. There was a lot of noise. 'It was just a hostile environment. It was something that we had never faced before.' Ashley Makhanya Ashley Makhanya. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix But despite the hostility on match-day, coach Shakes Mashaba and his assistant Thabo Dladla were not fazed. As such, Dladla offered his troops some motivation before the game in order to make sure that they played according to its demands, not the occasion. 'That's what Coach Thabo Dladla, the assistant coach, said to Coach Shakes: here, we need strong minds,' Makhanya recalled. 'He said we needed to remember who we are and how we got here. We needed to fear nothing. We are South Africans. We come from a past that faced hostility.' Makhanya and his teammates might have etched their names in the history books, but the former left back has lauded the set-up of the current group. According to the former Wits player, coach Raymond Mdaka's troops have worked hard to be where they are today, given all the challenges they've been facing. Back in 1997, they had everything at their disposal as they even played Italy on home soil and had Benni McCarthy, who was firing in goals from all angles. The suspension of McCarthy in the final came back to haunt them, and that's why Makhanya has lauded the depth at Mdaka's disposal, given that there have been different scorers too. 'We were naive, but very confident. We had good leadership in Coach Shakes Mashaba,' Makhanya added. 'In terms of talent, this country has never been short. We won our semi-final against Ghana on penalties, and they won outright. So, they are better than us. 'They are a balanced team, and have more options than us. Our threat was Benni up front. So, when he was not there in the final, it showed.'
