Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub/ Cosafa media
REGIONAL footballing force Zimbabwe will be aiming for their first-ever title when they participate in the Cosafa Under-17 Girls’ Championship in Windhoek, Namibia, from 10 to May 17.
Zimbabwe have competed in two of the tournament’s five previous editions, finishing fourth on their debut in 2020 before exiting at the group stage in the 2024 edition.
On that latter occasion, they found themselves in a challenging group, and this year presents a similar hurdle with last year’s runners-up Lesotho and the consistently competitive Botswana drawn alongside them in Group C.
Nevertheless, they must have faith that they can either secure top spot, which guarantees a place in the semi-finals, or qualify as the best of the second-placed teams, offering another route to the knockout stages.
Zimbabwe’s debut in the competition in 2020 saw them finish fourth in the round-robin format held in South Africa.
They managed a single victory against Comoros (3-2) but suffered significant defeats to eventual champions Tanzania (1-10) and South Africa (0-7), alongside a 2-5 loss to Zambia.
They were absent from the subsequent two tournaments for various reasons, and there was no competition in 2023. However, they returned last December for the event hosted in Johannesburg.
They began with a promising 2-1 win over Mauritius but then lost 7-2 to eventual winners Zambia in their second match, followed by a 3-1 defeat to Botswana in their final group game.
This year’s tournament offers them an opportunity for revenge against Botswana as they are drawn in the same group once again.
The team had been scheduled to play Ethiopia in Fifa Under-17 World Cup qualifiers in January but withdrew before the first leg.
Bongani Ndlovu