All the players taking part in the football competition at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17
Africa Cup of Nations 2026 COSAFA Qualifier in Harare, Zimbabwe, starting on Thursday will undergo Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) assessments to confirm their eligibility to compete.
 

It is a process that has been in place for some years now and leading sports physician Dr
Thulani Ngwenya, who is vice-president of the CAF Medical Commission and COSAFA
Medical Officer, has previously spearheaded it in the region.

Dr Ngwenya is a leading expert on the African continent and has vast experience in this
field.

The tests are used to ensure the players are within the required birth date range for the
competition, which starts from January 1, 2009, and follows the ineligibility of four sides
from the COSAFA Qualifiers for TotalEnergies U-17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2021.

Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini and Zimbabwe were all excluded from the competition in
2020 after one or more players failed a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) assessment. Dr Ngwenya has previously explained the importance of the tests for boys.

“MRI is a FIFA-approved method used to determine eligibility to play in the Under-17 age group,” Dr Ngwenya said.

“The images are taken on the non-dominant wrist, which is usually the left hand. The image takes about nine ‘slices’ of the growth plate.

“There are different stages of grading the growth plate, from 1 to 6. Grade 6 is the last stage where the growth plate is completely fused.

“For the purpose of Under-17 tournaments, everyone who is a Grade 6 is therefore deemed ineligible to participate in this age group category. The Confederation of African Football introduced this method to make our sport a fair and level playing field.”

Dr Ngwenya is quick to point out that a Grade 6 result does not necessarily mean a player is ‘over-age’. “This is an eligibility assessment, not an age determination assessment,” he stressed.

There have also been questions as to why the MRI tests are conducted on boys only, and
not those competitors in the girls’ Under-17 competitions.

“Girls have a natural situation of a menstrual cycle that really affects the development of
their bones and directly affects their bone density,” he explains.

CAF Medical Manager Dr Sidiki Boubakary explains how the introduction of the MRI tests for the continental finals has seen a reduction in eligibility cases.

“As per the statistics, we move from 7% (2018/19 edition) of ineligibility to below 1%
(2022/23 edition),” Dr Sidiki told CAFOnline. “We never see overage players in the U17
category. Now, we are having a truly U17 boys playing.

“In Africa, we have our own realities that are different from those of some confederations
such as UEFA. To give these young boys the chance to compete with players in the same
category as them, we must continue with this MRI protocol.

“And even provide a protocol for the upstream and downstream categories (U15 and U20) to achieve traceability leading to young and competitive players in senior categories.”

Kelis Ndhlovu struck a scintillating unbeaten 70 to power Zimbabwe Women to a commanding nine-wicket victory over Namibia Women in the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier in Windhoek on Saturday.

The 19-year-old opener dominated proceedings with a fluent 52-ball knock, peppered with 11 fours and a six, as Zimbabwe comfortably chased down Namibia’s 115 for seven with 21 balls to spare.

The result sealed the regional title for Zimbabwe, who, along with Namibia, had already booked their tickets to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier 2026 in Nepal by reaching the final.

After winning the toss and electing to field, Zimbabwe had to work hard early on as Namibia’s openers made a steady start.

The breakthrough came in the eighth over when Nyasha Gwanzura bowled Sune Wittmann for 11, ending a 27-run opening stand.

Kayleen Green kept the scoreboard ticking with a composed innings of 48 off 47 balls, decorated with five boundaries and two sixes.

She put on 38 in just five overs with Yasmeen Khan before falling to Loreen Tshuma, returning a catch to the bowler with Namibia well-placed at 65 for two.

Khan (23) and Mekelaye Mwatile added a further 33 runs, but Zimbabwe’s bowlers hit back strongly in the closing stages.

Khan was run out in the 16th over, sparking a collapse.

Beloved Biza then removed Wilka Mwatile for two, while Josephine Nkomo struck twice in quick succession, dismissing Mekelaye Mwatile (18) and Jurriene Diergaardt (1).

Biza returned to claim her second wicket when Mezerly Gorases was caught by Chiedza Dhururu for one, as Namibia stumbled to 115 for seven in their 20 overs.

Biza and Nkomo finished with two wickets apiece, while Tshuma and Gwanzura chipped in with one each.

Zimbabwe’s reply was nothing short of emphatic.

Ndhlovu and Modester Mupachikwa all but sealed the contest with a commanding opening partnership worth 112 runs in 16.1 overs.

Mupachikwa played the perfect supporting role with a patient 37 from 45 balls, striking five fours before she was bowled by Saima Tuhadeleni when attempting to finish the match.

There was little left for Namibia to celebrate, as Tshuma promptly struck a boundary to complete the chase at 116 for one in 16.3 overs.

Ndhlovu walked off unbeaten, her innings underlining her growing stature as one of Zimbabwe’s brightest young stars.

With the title in the bag and a ticket to the global qualifier secured, Zimbabwe will take confidence from their dominant showing in Windhoek where they won all their five matches convincingly.