We are chasing history – SA U20 Women’s National team coach 

Head coach of the South African U20 Women’s National team, Maud Khumalo says they understand the huge task ahead of them as they embark on rewriting the history books.

After getting a bye in the first round, Basetsana face neighbours Eswatini in the second round of the 2026 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers with the first leg scheduled for Friday, 19 September 2025.

The match will be played at the Somhlolo National Stadium in Eswatini, with a 3pm kick off.

Among the South African national teams, Basetsana are the only side that have not been to a FIFA World Cup despite several attempts – Bafana Bafana, Banyana Banyana, U17 and U20 Men, U17 Women have all tasted the global tournament.

“This is a huge match for us, it is very crucial that we do well because everyone is well aware that we have never qualified for the World Cup, so our journey to making history starts here,” said Khumalo from Eswatini.

The University of Pretoria mentor adds that things are on track as they get ready to tackle their COSAFA counterparts.

“Things are going according to plan and we saw some a bit of what Eswatini is all about at the COSAFA Cup in Namibia recently, so we have an idea of what is in front of us. Most importantly, we are expecting positive results from our players as they know how much winning this game means,” added Khumalo.

The reverse fixture will take place a week later (Saturday, 27 September) in Nelspruit.

The overall winners after the two-legged clash will meet either Tunisia or Ghana in the third round in February next year, while the fourth and final round will be held in May 2026.

The 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World will take place in Poland from 5-27 September next year. This will be the 12^thedition of the competition, and the first FIFA Women’s World Cup that the Eastern European country will host.

Along with the hosts, 24 countries will qualify for the tournament.

The African continent (CAF) has four slots allocated to them, similar to CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and AFC, while EUFA will have six representatives with OFC getting two.

• CAF (Africa) – 4
• AFC (Asia) – 4
• CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean) – 4 
• CONMEBOL (North America, Central America and the Caribbean) – 4 
• UEFA (Europe) – 6 
• OFC (Oceania) – 2 

Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria and Morocco flew the African flag high at the last tournament in Colombia last year.

CAF U20 Women Second Round Fixtures:

Team 1		Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
Niger	vs	Cameroon	20 Sept	27 Sept
Botswana	vs	Mozambique	19 Sept	27 Sept
Ethiopia	vs	Kenya	21 Sept	28 Sept
Tanzania	vs	Angola	21 Sept	27 Sept
Tunisia	vs	Ghana	20 Sept	28 Sept
Eswatini	vs	South Africa	19 Sept	27 Sept
Uganda	vs	Namibia	19 Sept	22 Sept
Burundi	vs	Zambia	19 Sept	27 Sept
Ivory Coast	vs	Morocco	21 Sept	28 Sept
Mali	vs	DR Congo	20 Sept	28 Sept
Equatorial Guinea	vs	Egypt	19 Sept	26 Sept
Benin	vs	Guinea	19 Sept	26 Sept
Rwanda	vs	Nigeria	21 Sept	27 Sept
Senegal	vs	Algeria	20 Sept	27 Sept
Guinea-Bissau	vs	Congo	20 Sept	28 Sept
South Sudan	vs	Malawi	23 Sept	26 Sept

Ten nations have already qualified, including the hosts Poland – leaving 14 spots up for grabs. North Korea are the defending champions after deating Japan in the final.

QUALIFIED NATIONS:

UEFA:

• Poland (hosts)
• France
• Italy
• England
• Portugal
• Spain

CONCACAF:

• Canada
• Mexico
• USA
• Costa Rica

FACT FILE:

• The host nation, Poland as well as Portugal will make their debut at this tournament
• Italy and England qualify for the first time since 2012 and 2018 respectively.
• Austria failed to qualify after taking part in 2024
• Netherlands failed to qualify after appearing in the previous three tournaments
• For the first time ever Germany failed to qualify, having participated in all editions between 2002 and 2024

By Matlhomola Morake