Williams Hails Amajimbos’ Historic World Cup Start

Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams has praised Amajimbos for their historic performance at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, where they have collected four points from two matches.

Vela Khumalo’s side came from behind to secure a 1-1 draw against hosts Qatar on Thursday, with Emile Witbooi scoring a well-taken header to level the score.

South Africa began their campaign in impressive fashion, defeating Bolivia 3-1 in their opening Group A match on Monday — a result that marked their first-ever win at a FIFA U-17 World Cup. The Amajimbos now sit second in Group A with four points.

They will wrap up their group stage campaign against Italy on Sunday, where even a draw would be enough to send them through to the knockout stages for the first time.

Williams, who helped Bafana Bafana qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expressed his delight at the youngsters’ progress, saying: “The boys played a fantastic match — four points after two matches is a great achievement.”

This year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup features an expanded format of 48 teams for the first time, with the top two teams from each of the 12 groups advancing to the knockout stage. They will be joined by the eight best third-placed teams to complete the Round of 32.

Coach Vela Khumalo reflected on the result against Qatar, admitting his side had to adapt to a difficult game plan from the hosts.

“It wasn’t the result we were hoping for, but we knew playing against the hosts would be tough. We analysed their approach, and they played exactly as we expected,” said Khumalo.

“The goal we conceded came from our own mistake. Other than that, they sat back and relied on transitions. Their plan worked — congratulations to them.

“I also think we lacked a bit of aggression and individual brilliance on the day. It wasn’t our best performance, but we’ll take the draw and move forward.”