admin
Sports Reporter
FORMER Highlanders Royals star, now Lobengula Queens manager, Mukumbuta Ndlovu has described the Group D of the 2024 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Women’s Championships for the Mighty Warriors as fair.
The tournament is scheduled to take place in Gqeberha, South Africa, from 22 October to 2 November.
“It is a fair draw. We can proceed to the next stage if we work hard. I am positive that we will have a good side because this is an exciting draw,” said Ndlovu.
The Mighty Warriors will face Mozambique and Lesotho in the three-team group.
This year’s tournament boasts a record-breaking 14 teams, making it the largest women’s international competition on the African continent.
Malawi are the defending champions while South Africa have won it over half-a-dozen times and start as favourites as always.
The might of Zambians’ Shepolopolo cannot be under estimated in what should be an exciting football extravaganza exhibiting the best talent in the region. Under new head coach Sithethelelwe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda, Zimbabwe aims to improve upon their fourth-place finish in the previous edition.
The group stage consists of two groups with four teams (A and B) and two with three teams (C and D). The top-ranked team in each group will progress to the semi-finals.
Cosafa competitions manager Joshua Knipp remarked, “This year’s competition is the largest women’s football tournament on the continent, with 14 teams competing.”
South Africa captain Refiloe Jane praised the Cosafa Cup’s role in developing players: “The tournament kick-started my career in 2018. It’s a great platform for young players to showcase their skills.”
South Africa have won seven of the previous 11 Cosafa Women’s Championships, with Zimbabwe (2011), Tanzania, Zambia, and Malawi being the other trophy winners.
HollywoodBets Cosafa Women’s Championship Draw
GROUP A: South Africa, Namibia, Eswatini, Seychelles
GROUP B: Malawi, Botswana, Madagascar, Mauritius
GROUP C: Zambia, Angola, Comoros
GROUP D: Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho
derick.khumalo