Football: South Africa move closer to making history after 1-1 draw against Qatar in FIFA U17 World Cup

by Devesh Jaganath

image Football: South Africa move closer to making history after 1-1 draw against Qatar in FIFA U17 World Cup
The South African U17 football team have taken a massive step toward qualifying for the knockout stages of the FIFA U17 World Cup. Amajimbos held Qatar to a 1-1 draw in their second group-stage match of the tournament and now need just one point from their final match to progress to the next round.

Amajimbos on the brink of U17 World Cup knockouts

It has been an incredible few years for South African football, with the nation’s senior team, Bafana Bafana, leading the way by finishing third in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup last month. 

Amajita, the country’s U20 side, made history in Egypt in May by winning the U20 AFCON for the first time ever, and now, the U17 team, Amajimbos, are looking to add to the nation's achievements at the U17 World Cup. 

Vela Khumalo’s side kicked off their World Cup campaign in spectacular fashion, securing a commanding 3-1 victory over Bolivia, and moved to four points after two games on Thursday evening by holding Qatar to a 1-1 draw. 

Qatar got off to a dream start, with Yazan Mohamed putting his team in front just three minutes into the match after finishing off a fast-paced attack that seemed to catch Amajimbos off guard early in the game.

However, their lead only lasted 13 minutes, as South African wonderkid Emile Witbooi levelled proceedings with a stunning finish to pull his team level with his second goal of the tournament after netting against Bolivia. 

Witbooi came close to picking up his third of the competition in the second half but was denied but the opposing goalkeeper. South Africa also had two penalty shouts turned down, though the draw result was still a good one for Khumalo’s men. 

Group A standings ahead of final round

fifa_u17_world_cup_2

With that result, South Africa have moved to four points in two games and trail group leaders Italy by two. Qatar are in third place with one point, while Bolivia have zero points and have been eliminated from qualification contention. 

A point or better against Italy will guarantee Amajimbos a spot in the knockout round of the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup. If Qatar earn anything less than a victory in their final game, South Africa will progress even if they lose to Italy. 

Importantly, the South Africans have a goal difference of +2 compared to Qatar’s -1, meaning that the latter have to beat Bolivia and hope that Italy secure a big win over Amajimbos to have a chance of moving on in the competition. 

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts
1Italy22005056
2South Africa21104224
3Qatar201112−11
4Bolivia200217−60