Online Reporter
ZIMBABWE fell short on home soil in 2023, and again in Namibia this year, but the target remains the same as they head to Stellenbosch for the CAF African Schools Football Championship COSAFA Qualifier from December 5 to 7.
Both the Boys and Girls teams want to finally push through to the finish line at a tournament that has tested them in each of their previous attempts.
This year marks Zimbabwe’s third appearance. They finished third when Harare hosted the event in 2023, a run that included a 1-0 victory over Namibia in the bronze medal match.
Their hopes of reaching the final vanished after a tough 4-0 loss to Malawi in their opening game.
The response that followed showed real promise as they swept aside Botswana 4-1, Eswatini 3-1 and Mozambique 3-0, although it wasn’t enough to overhaul Malawi at the top.
There were standout individual displays that year, especially from El Shaddai Sadomba, who walked away with the Golden Boot after scoring six goals in four matches.
The Girls team had a harder run. They opened with a 5-1 win over Eswatini but could not sustain that momentum, falling to Malawi (0-3), Botswana (0-1) and Mozambique (0-3). In 2024, the Boys exited in the group stages after narrow 1-0 defeats to South Africa and Eswatini and a 1-1 draw with Angola.
The Girls showed more fight in 2024. They bounced back from a heavy 7-0 loss to South Africa by drawing 1-1 with Eswatini and hammering Angola 8-0 to reach the semifinals, where they narrowly lost 2-1 to Malawi.
Zimbabwe did not take part in the inaugural zonal qualifier staged in Malawi in 2022, but the country’s pedigree has never been in doubt.
Schools football remains a big part of the nation’s talent pipeline, and many of Southern Africa’s most celebrated players have emerged from Zimbabwean classrooms and dusty pitches.
The next wave will be on display again at Under 15 level, and with an 11 team field waiting, Zimbabwe go in hoping this is finally the year they turn competitive performances into a place in the final.
The draw will be conducted in the days leading up to the tournament. – Cosafa
