Vusumuzi Dube
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE has been handed a seemingly fair draw in Group C of the Hollywoodbets Cosafa Women’s Championships 2023.
The Mighty Warriors are playing in the tournament for the first time in two years following a long Fifa suspension of the country from international football over what it termed ‘Third Party’ interference.
They will be joined in their group by Namibia, Lesotho and Botswana.
Group B features Zambia, Mozambique, Angola and Comoros.
Group A has South Africa, Malawi, Madagascar and Eswatini.
The 2023 COSAFA Women’s Championship is to be staged in Gauteng from October 4-15 as holders Zambia gear up to defend their maiden regional title won at last year’s tournament and Zimbabwe make a welcome return to the international fold.
The tournament will be excellent preparation for the second round of qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with several COSAFA teams still involved in those.
Zambia take on Mali, Namibia face Morocco, Botswana clash with Tanzania and South Africa meet DR Congo in the next round of qualifiers that are set for late October.
South Africa have won seven of the previous 10 COSAFA Women’s Championships played, with Zimbabwe (2011), Tanzania (2021) and Zambia (2022) the other teams to lift the trophy.
Cosafa Draw
Group A South Africa, Malawi, Madagascar and Eswatini.
Group B Zambia, Mozambique, Angola and Comoros.
Group C Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho and Botswana.
derick.khumalo