Namibia’s U/20 head coach James Britz has named a 31-man preliminary squad for the upcoming Caf U/20 Africa Cup of Nations Cosafa Cup (Afcon) qualifiers, set to take place later this month in Durban, South Africa. 

The players are expected to report for training today, and the squad will soon be trimmed to an undisclosed number. 

“We don’t know exactly how many players we’ll be taking to the tournament, but last time we participated, we travelled with 20 players. I am hoping it will be the same this year, but we are waiting for confirmation from Cosafa,” he said.

Namibia has been drawn into Group B alongside Angola, Zambia and Madagascar, following the recent tournament draw. 

The coach acknowledged that his team faces stiff competition, with some of Africa’s top junior sides in the mix. 

Namibia will start their campaign with a tie against Angola on 29 August before they face off against Zambia on 1 October this year. 

“It’s going to be a tough competition. Angola is a fantastic team with a great reputation – they have even played at a Junior World Cup. We faced them when we qualified for the 2021 U/20 African Cup of Nations, so we know how strong they are,” he noted.

He added: “Madagascar has also made great progress in African football over the last few years, and Zambia is a consistently strong side. We’re expecting a challenging tournament, but we are prepared. In football, anything is possible, and what they’ve achieved, we can achieve as well.”

Britz also shared that training had already begun yesterday. 

“We started with some light training yesterday afternoon. Many of our players are coming in from outside town, so we expect most of them to arrive by today. Once everyone is here, training will intensify,” he added.

-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na