COSAFA says all the players taking part in the football competition at the CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2026 | COSAFA Qualifiers in Zimbabwe will undergo Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) assessments to confirm their eligibility to compete.
Zambia is among 12 teams scheduled to participate in the regional competition to be staged in Harare from September 11-20 as teams seek to reach the continental finals that are to be held next year.
The tests are used to ensure the players are within the required birth date range for the competition
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.
According to COSAFA, sports physician Dr Thulani Ngwenya says these tests are aimed at making sport fair and to be played on a level field.
“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,” he said.
“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 fair and a level playing field.”