The U-17s sides from Mamelodi Sundowns, Bidvest Wits, Black Aces & Kaizer Chiefs seal their places at the Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament.

Future Champions is a project aimed at improving the standard of youth football in South Africa and more specifically in the Guateng region. The objective of the programme is to act as a lever for social development. LaLiga has been working with Future Champions on the project this year and the organisation's interest in the development of the game in the region has seen it become a driving force behind the project

The Future Champions competition involves three phases: the Schools Cup, from where the strongest four sides progressed to the second phase (the Gauteng Cup), and finally the International Tournament. The 20 February marked the start of the Future Champions tournament with the Schools Cup stage kicking things off. Clapham High, Rosina Sedibane, Kingsway High and Thutolore Secondary progressed to qualify for the second phase.

The second phase (the Gauteng Cup) was contested on Sunday 6 March between the four groups of four Under-17s sides. Of these sixteen teams, the following four sides progressed to the final phase (the International Tournament): Mamelodi Sundowns, Bidvest Wits, Black Aces and Kaizer Chiefs.

 Mamelodi Sundowns, Black Aces and Kaizer Chiefs won all three of their group games to seal their qualification, whilst the Bidvest Wits won two of their games and drew the other, with seven points proving enough to progress. These four teams also played the semi-finals, from which the Mamelodi Sundowns and Bidvest Wits ran out winners after the former overcame Kaizer Chiefs by 1-0 and the latter saw off the Black Aces 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out after the game had ended in a 1-1 draw. Mamelodi Sundowns and Bidvest Wits will now lock horns in the final later on in March.

The four teams to have qualified for the Future Champions Gauteng International Tournament will be joined by reigning champions, Brazil's Atletico Mineiro, Italy's Torino and the Chinese side, Shandong Luneng. The others sides set to take part in the competition are Atletico de Madrid, who will fly the flag for Spain, Club Brugge, Clube Ferroviario de Maputo, Xolos and Royal Wahingdoh F.C.