The HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship kicks-off in Nelson Mandela Bay on Wednesday as East African guest nation Tanzania seek to retain the title they won last year.
The 12-team competition features the best of the Southern African region in a race for the coveted trophy that has only been won by two others sides – South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The likes of 2023 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Zambia will be hoping to add their name, as will last year’s beaten finalists Malawi, who came so close to a famous win.
South Africa have brought a side packed with potential future stars, while the likes of 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinalists Botswana are also in the field and will be eyeing the title.
And the best news for local fans is that tickets to the matches are FREE! They can be collected from SASOL outlets in Summerstrand, Disa, Motherwell and Standford Road.
The competition gets underway with a Group A clash between Mauritius and Mozambique at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium (kick-off 12h00 CAT) as both seek to get a morale-boosting win in what is a tough pool.
That will be followed by a clash between hosts South Africa and Angola (15h30 CAT) in what will be another titanic tussle.
With only the top team in each pool advancing automatically to the semifinals, along with the best-placed runner-up, competition will be huge and the margin for error is extremely limited.
Group B gets under way on Thursday when Lesotho tackle Eswatini (12h00 CAT) and is followed by the Zambian Copper Queens against Namibia (15h30 CAT). Those matches will be played at the Madibaz Stadium.
Group C will see defending champions Tanzania play Comoros on Thursday (12h00 CAT), before Botswana will play Malawi (15h30 CAT).
The pool stages will continue until September 7, with the semifinals two days later when the winner of Group B play the top team in Group C, while the victor in Group A takes on the best-placed runner-up.
The COSAFA Women’s Championship was first played in 2002. South Africa have won seven out of the nine precious championships, with only Zimbabwe breaking their run on home soil in 2011 and Tanzania’s victory last year.
Matches will be broadcast on SuperSport, SABC Sport, and streamed live on COSAFA.TV and FIFA+.
Source: COSAFA.com
