AFCON U-20 QUALIFIERS: WE’RE GOING TO MAKE HISTORY – ‘STOPPER’

MBABANE – Eswatini Under-20s star Junior ‘Stopper’ Mtsetfwa is confident of a fruitful outing in Mozambique.

The national Under-20 player mentioned this during their farewell function at the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Technical Centre at Lobamba, two days ago. The national junior outfit will today begin their journey in the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. The games are played under the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) banner.  Eswatini face Mozambique in the opener at 3pm. ‘Stopper’ noted that they boasted a strong squad and prepared well for the competition. He also mentioned their goal of making history by qualifying for the continental showpiece. “Physically, we are ready; even yesterday (Monday), we were doing a lot of physical conditioning, which will help us adapt to the conditions in Mozambique,” said Mtsetfwa.

Rules

Meanwhile, if Eswatini are able to reach the final stage of the competition, they will advance directly to the main tournament. As per the competition rules, the top two teams earn the AFCON Under-20s tournament ticket. On the other hand, the national side have at least four players competing outside the borders of the country. This adds to the quality of the Eswatini-based players as some are playing at a senior level.

Eswatini will need to break a 22-year jinx of failing to progress past the knockout stage. They aim aim to start strong against Mozambique, as they did in 2019 with a 2-0 score. It is worth noting that the only time Eswatini managed to advance beyond the group stages was in 2002 and that occurred by default after they lost 2-0 to Zimbabwe in the only game of Group B. The group had been reduced to a two-team pool due to Madagascar’s withdrawal.  Meanwhile, the games will be broadcast live and free on FIFA Plus.

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