Amajimbos coach Vela Khumalo hailed their World Cup qualification later this year as “mission accomplished.”

The South African U17 men’s national team secured their place in the FIFA U17 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Qatar from 3–27 November 2025.

Khumalo’s team achieved this feat by finishing as runners-up to Group B winners Burkina Faso at the CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) currently taking place in Morocco.

Although South Africa lost their final Group B match 2-0 to Burkina Faso on Sunday night, the result did not affect the final standings. They had already qualified for both the World Cup and the AFCON quarterfinals.

Khumalo expressed his elation for his players following their achievement. “Let me take this opportunity to thank every South African who rallied behind us,” he told SAFA media. 

“This is a great moment and a big achievement. I made it clear that more than anything else we wanted to qualify for the World Cup, so it is mission accomplished.  

“I am very excited and delighted despite this last result (the defeat to Burkina Faso), where I think we still played well. We did not convert our chances and we need to be a little bit more aggressive and direct. I’m excited, happy, so happy for the boys, and happy for myself.” 

This marks South Africa’s second qualification for the competition, following their 2015 appearance where they reached the U17 AFCON final.

Meanwhile, Khumalo stated that they are now looking forward to seeing how far they can progress in the U17 AFCON, having relieved the pressure of World Cup qualification.