Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ACTING Premier Soccer League (PSL) CEO, Rodwell Thabe, says the league will initiate urgent talks with Zifa and local clubs, to navigate fixture challenges during the upcoming 2025 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup, set for June 4–15 in South Africa.
Though the Cosafa Cup falls outside Fifa’s official calendar, Thabe insists the tournament holds critical importance for Zimbabwe’s football ambitions and the development of emerging talent.
“We’ve committed to honouring all Fifa sanctioned events,” said Thabe. “However, Cosafa, while not on that calendar, remains a crucial regional showcase. It helps us elevate our standards and gives our players an invaluable platform to shine, potentially launching them into the Warriors squad and beyond.”
Thabe emphasised the PSL’s readiness to find a collaborative path forward that respects both national pride and club obligations.
“We’ll work hand-in-hand with Zifa and our clubs to ensure the national team fields its strongest possible side while keeping our domestic league on track. It’s about striking a delicate but necessary balance.”
Zimbabwe face a tough test in Group A following Wednesday’s draw in Mangaung, South Africa. The Warriors are grouped with hosts South Africa, 2023 bronze medallists Mozambique and Mauritius, a quartet already dubbed the “Group of Death.”
Defending champions, Angola, headline Group B, joined by Namibia, whom they thrashed 5–0 in last year’s final, alongside Malawi and Lesotho. Group C features Morocco, the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists, paired with Madagascar and Eswatini. In Group D, seven-time winners Zambia will square off against Comoros and Botswana.
This year marks the first time the tournament will be staged in South Africa’s Free State province, with matches hosted at the iconic Free State Stadium and Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium, both venues that featured in the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Only the top team from each group will progress to the semi-finals. The winner of Group A is set to face the victor of Group D, while the competition offers up to five competitive fixtures per team, a vital warm-up ahead of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, resuming in September.
As Zimbabwe look to reclaim the Cosafa crown they last hoisted in 2018, Thabe says unified planning between the PSL, Zifa and club structures is more than just logistical, it’s strategic.
“This is bigger than any single fixture,” he said. “It’s about what’s best for Zimbabwean football. We’re determined to find common ground and keep the game moving forward.”
2025 HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA CUP DRAW
GROUP A: South Africa, Mozambique, Mauritius, Zimbabwe
GROUP B: Angola, Namibia, Malawi, Lesotho
GROUP C: Morocco, Madagascar, Eswatini
GROUP D: Zambia, Comoros, Botswana
