Chronicle Editor
Fungai Muderere, [email protected]
THE fifth edition of the Cosafa Women’s Under-17 Championship will be held at the Black Bulls Club in Matola, Mozambique, from December 4-13.
Defending champions South Africa will be competing against 11 other teams split into three groups.
The competition runs alongside the TotalEnergies Caf Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025 Cosafa Qualifier for boys.
Mozambique, Comoros, Eswatini and Lesotho make up Group A, while Group B consists of South Africa, Malawi, Namibia and Madagascar. Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mauritius compete in Group C.
Only the top team in each pool and the best-placed runner-up will advance to the knockout stages.
Ugandan, Tanzanian, Zambian, and South African teams have won the previous four editions.
Several players who have participated in past tournaments have become senior internationals.
Although Caf does not have a continental final for the women’s Under-17 age group, teams participate in World Cup qualifiers.
Zambia has qualified twice, in 2014 and 2021, while South Africa qualified in 2010 and 2018.
The tournament used to be part of the AUSC Region 5 Games but now stands alone under the Cosafa banner.
Mozambique ended the Mighty Warriors’ road during the 2024 Cosafa Cup tournament late last month with a 1-1 draw against Lesotho.
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. -@FungaiMuderere
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