Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
TWO years after successfully staging the Confederation of African Football’s Schools Under-15 tournament for the Southern African region, ZIFA have won the endorsement of the continental body again with another tourney set for Zimbabwe in December.
CAF and COSAFA are lining up an Under-17 Girls Integrated Football Tournament (GIFT) Cup scheduled for December 8-18.
The GIFT Cup also comes on the back of ZIFA’s successful staging of the 2025 Total Energies Under-17 AFCON COSAFA qualifiers in Harare and Norton.
While Thulani Sibanda’s Young Warriors failed to advance beyond the group stage, ZIFA and Zimbabweans at large received the plaudits of COSAFA, CAF and FIFA for the manner in which they staged the tournament, with huge crowds that watched virtually every game at Ngoni Stadium, charming the international football bodies. And now both CAF and COSAFA believe Zimbabwe can be the place to stage the GIFT Cup. It is against this background that COSAFA executive director Sue Destombes and her deputy Francis Makonese were in Harare on Tuesday and yesterday to explore the concept of hosting the GIFT tournament.
Destombes, Makonese and their crew also took time to assess the available facilities, which could be used for the tournament, which is in its second edition.
They held a high-level planning meeting with ZIFA General Secretary Yvonne Manwa to discuss preparations and modalities of staging the GIFT Cup.
Manwa confirmed as much and remains hopeful that the tourney will once again showcase Zimbabwe’s capacity to play a role in the development of the African game.
More importantly for CAF, COSAFA and ZIFA, the visit marked a major step forward in the build-up to one of Africa’s most important youth football events for girls, organised annually by CAF.
The GIFT Cup is designed to promote structured and competitive football for girls under the age of 17 at club and academy level, while cultivating technical discipline, tactical awareness and leadership values among emerging players.
And the indaba in Harare focused on technical readiness, infrastructure assessment, tournament logistics and legacy initiatives intended to strengthen the long-term development of women’s football. The ZIFA leadership have made known their ambitions to uplift women’s football in the country beyond just their Premier League. COSAFA’s engagement with ZIFA sought to ensure full alignment with CAF’s continental framework for youth and women’s football development.
According to ZIFA, the discussions also covered opportunities for capacity-building across coaching, refereeing, medical, and administrative departments, ensuring that the competition benefits Zimbabwe’s broader football ecosystem long after the final whistle. The 2025 edition of the tournament will feature girls’ clubs representing eight different countries from the COSAFA region, transforming Zimbabwe into a continental hub of youthful talent and cultural exchange.
The GIFT Cup will not only showcase the next generation of female footballers but also provide a vital platform for scouts, sponsors, and development partners seeking to invest in Africa women’s game.
This will be the second edition of the GIFT Cup since its inception and the first ever hosted by a country in the COSAFA region. COSAFA’s central and eastern counterparts CECAFA were the hosts of the inaugural edition. This set the platform for CAF’s mission to expand opportunities for structured competition among young girls across the continent. Zimbabwe’s selection reflects CAF’s growing confidence in the country’s football structures and improved facilities and is in line with the transformation which the association is undergoing. The confidence reposed on Zimbabwe, CAF and COSAFA also charmed ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi, who hailed and expressed gratitude for the faith shown by the two bodies, calling the move both a privilege and a test of national capability.
“We are honoured by CAF’s trust and COSAFA’s partnership.
“The GIFT Cup is not just a tournament, it is an investment in the dreams of young African girls who deserve platforms to shine. “Zimbabwe will ensure this event leaves a lasting developmental footprint in our communities and inspires a new generation of women’s footballers,” Magwizi said. The ZIFA boss also noted the hosting of the tourney will contribute significantly to sports tourism, stimulate local industries, and reinforce Zimbabwe’s growing reputation as a capable and progressive football nation. It will also underscore the pledge that Magwizi and his executive made to develop and promote the Women’s game starting from the grassroots level.
