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Fungai Muderere
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THE Cosafa Women’s Under-17 Championship’s fifth edition will take place in Maputo, Mozambique from December 4-13, where South Africa will be defending champions.
The competition will be run alongside the TotalEnergies Confederation of African Football (CAF) Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025 Cosafa Qualifier for boys that will also be held at the same venue, the superb facility of the Black Bulls Club in Matola.
The draw for the group stage has already been made, with the 12 competing teams split into three pools each containing four sides.
Hosts Mozambique are in Group A along with Comoros, Eswatini, and Lesotho, while Group B has holders South Africa, Malawi, Namibia, and Madagascar.
Group C contains Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mauritius, and once again only the top team in each pool and the best-placed runners-up advance to the last four.
The previous four editions have seen four different winners, the first two trophies claimed by guest nations.
Uganda pipped South Africa to the title in 2019, before Tanzania edged Zambia on penalties the following year.
Zambia lifted the trophy in 2021 with a thumping 4-0 victory over Botswana in the decider, before South Africa edged the Zambian 4-3 in a thrilling decider in 2022. Several players who have competed in this competition in the past have gone on to become senior internationals.
The very first finals in 2019 created history when South Africa set a record for an international match in Africa by defeating Seychelles 28-0 in the pool stages.
But over the years the matches have become much tighter as teams in this age group around the region have improved.
Caf does not have a continental final for the women’s Under-17 age group, but teams do enter World Cup qualifiers, and the most recent of these saw Zambia qualify for the global show-piece event in the Dominican Republic.
That was Zambia’s second participation after they also qualified in 2014, while South Africa (2010, 2018) have been to two World Cups as well.
The Cosafa Women’s Under-17 Championship has also been played as part of the AUSC Region 5 Games in the past, but this year is a stand-alone competition only under the Cosafa banner. Late last month, the Mighty Warrior’s road at the 2024 Cosafa Cup tournament ended following Mozambique’s 1-1 draw against Lesotho.
Zimbabwe picked a young squad for the Cosafa Cup tournament, leaving out other senior players like Israel-based forward Immaculate Msipa and Tanzanian-based midfielder Dananai Bhobho.
For team head coach Sithethelelwe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda, the tournament was also meant to give exposure to the youngsters ahead of the Afcon Qualifiers coming next year.
Online Reporter