All systems go for Cosafa U20

Football | Cosafa Cup

The COSAFA Under-20 Youth Championships makes a return this year for the first time since 2011 when the competition gets underway in Lesotho on Tuesday.
Thirteen nations from the COSAFA region and East African guest side Kenya will make up the field, with Malawi the only southern African side that did not make the tournament.
Matches will be played at two venues – Maseru and Mafeteng – with the final set for December 14.
It promises to be a feast of junior football, where the next generation of stars for COSAFA sides will get to compete against their peers, and hopefully catch the eye of the watching scouts.

Zambia enters the tournament as winners of the last three events between 2009 and 2011, and must once again be considered among the favourites given the strength of junior football in the country.
Young Chipolopolo has been placed in a tough Group C in the competition though and will face-off against regional powerhouse South Africa, Namibia and Seychelles.
The South Africans have not fared well in recent COSAFA Under-20 Youth Championship tournaments, but this year are led by the veteran coach Shakes Mashaba, arguably the most decorated tactician at the finals.

Namibia is another side who are always competitive and have the ability to beat anybody on their day, while the islanders of Seychelles will be something of an unknown.
Group A is the other four-team pool and should be equally hard-fought. It contains hosts Lesotho, a powerful Kenya selection, and the twin island nations of Comoros and Mauritius.
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Lesotho have been one of the shining lights of the region in recent times, qualifying for the 2011 African Youth Championships, but now needing to rebuild with a new generation of stars.
Kenya asked to compete in this competition following the decision of Malawi not to contest, knowing that the standard will help them prepare for their own challenges ahead.
Kenya usually competes in the CECAFA Under-20 Championships, but that competition has not been played since 2010.

There are also two three-team pools at the COSAFA Under-20 Youth Championships, with teams in those also playing a third cross-over game to ensure all sides play three pool-stage matches.
Group B is headed by Angola and also contains Mozambique and Madagascar, while Group D contains Zimbabwe, Botswana and Swaziland. Both look evenly matches.
The top side in Group B will play the second-placed team in Group D after the first two rounds of action, and vice-verse.

The top sides in each group will advance to the semifinals, the winner of Group A taking on the leading side in Group C and the victors in Groups B and D.
Aside from the first matches on Tuesday, there will also be an opening ceremony.
There are also some awards up for grabs, Player of the Tournament, Top-Goalscorer, Goalkeeper of the Tournament and a Fair Play Award (team).