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Sports Reporter
YOUNG Warriors coach Tafadzwa Mashiri is expected to name his final COSAFA Championships squad today ahead of the team’s departure for Mauritius at the weekend. The tournament will once again be staged on the resort island for the third time running from next Thursday up to July 29.

An enlarged squad of 50 Under-17 players went into camp at the ZIFA Village last Friday.
The Young Warriors, who failed to progress beyond the group stages last year, have been placed in Group C together with Angola, Malawi and Swaziland.

This year’s 12-team tournament has an added sweetener as the teams will battle for the ticket to next year’s Under-17 World Cup finals in Peru.

The team which lifts the trophy in Mauritius will qualify for the CAF Under-17 Championships that will be staged in Tanzania next May with the World Cup finals towards year end in Peru. But, for the Young Warriors, the immediate goal would be to better last year’s performance which saw them returning home empty-handed after three group stage matches.

Teams
Group A: Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia, Seychelles.
Group B: Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho, South Africa.
Group C: Angola, Malawi, Swaziland, Zimbabwe.