Wikipedia

2024 COSAFA Women's Championship

The 2024 COSAFA Women's Championship was the twelfth edition of the COSAFA Women's Championship, also known as the 2024 Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women's Championship for sponsorship purposes, the annual international women's association football championship contested by the women's national teams of Southern Africa and organised by COSAFA. The tournament took place in Gqeberha, South Africa from 22 October to 2 November 2024.[1] The opening match was won by Eswatini for the second consecutive year, defeating debutant Seychelles 6–0 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, achieving their biggest win to date.[2]

Hollywoodbets COSAFA
Women's Championship 2024
Tournament details
Host country South Africa
CityGqeberha
Dates22 October – 2 November
Teams14 (from 1 sub-confederation)
Venue(s)3 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions Zambia (2nd title)
Runners-up South Africa
Tournament statistics
Matches played21
Goals scored75 (3.57 per match)
Top scorer(s)Zambia Ochumba Lubandji
Zambia Fridah Mukoma
(4 goals each)
Best player(s)South Africa Isabella Ludwig
Best goalkeeperSouth Africa Jessica Williams
Fair play award Zambia
← 2023
2025 →

Malawi were the defending champions, having claimed their first title in the previous edition.[3] However, their attempt to defend the title fell short in the semi-finals when they were eliminated by the eventual champions Zambia,[4] who went on to clinch their second title after defeating host South Africa in the final 4–3 on penalties following a scoreless draw.[5][6] Zambian players Ochumba Lubandji and Fridah Mukoma co-jointly won the Golden Boot scoring four goals each throughout the tournament. South Africa's Isabella Ludwig was voted the tournament's best player, winning the Golden Ball, whilst Ludwig's teammate Jessica Williams won the Golden Glove, awarded to the best-performing goalkeeper of the tournament.

Of the fourteen participating teams, Seychelles made their tournament debut, with them and Mauritius scoring their first-ever goals in the competition against South Africa and Madagascar, respectively.[7][8] Comoros achieved their first win in the tournament after defeating Angola in the group stage.[9]

Format

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The competition format was unveiled at the official draw ceremony held in October 2024. The tournament began with a group stage featuring four groups (two groups of four teams and two groups of three teams). The top team from each group progressed to the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals advanced to the final, while, for the first time since 2020, no third-place match was held.[10]

Teams

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Participation

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A record 14 COSAFA Member Associations have entered this year's edition, marking the first time all members were participating. Of the 14 teams competing, 12 featured in last year's 2023 edition. Mauritius returned to the tournament after missing the previous edition, while Seychelles made their debut in the competition.[11]

Note: All appearance statistics exclude the 2008 edition.

Team App Last
appearance 		Previous best performance FIFA ranking
August 2024
  Angola[12] 7th 2023 Group stage (2006, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) 148
  Botswana[12] 10th 2023 Runners-up (2020) 153
  Comoros[12] 5th 2023 Group stage (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) 188
  Eswatini[13] 10th 2023 Group stage (2002, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) 182
  Lesotho[13] 9th 2023 Group stage (2002, 2006, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023) 176
  Madagascar[13] 5th 2023 Group stage (2017, 2018, 2019, 2023) 190
  Malawi[14] 11th 2023 Champions (2023) 156
  Mauritius[14] 4th 2022 Group stage (2017, 2019, 2022) 194
  Mozambique[15] 10th 2023 Third place (2023) 171
  Namibia[15] 8th 2023 Runners-up (2006) 125
  Seychelles[15] 1st — Debut 170
  South Africa[16] 11th 2023 Champions (2002, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) 50
  Zambia[16] 11th 2023 Champions (2022) 62
  Zimbabwe[16] 10th 2023 Champions (2011) 124

Squads

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Main article: 2024 COSAFA Women's Championship squads

Draw

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The final group stage draw took place at COSAFA House in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 8 October 2024 at 12:00 SAST (UTC+2).[17][18]

For this edition, the top three teams from the previous tournament, along with the host nation, were automatically placed into the following positions. South Africa, the host nation, to position A1; Malawi, the 2023 champions, were assigned to position B1; Zambia, the 2023 runners-up, to position C1; and Mozambique, the 2023 third-place team, to position D1. The remaining teams were seeded into three pots for the draw: Pot 1 included Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola; Pot 2 featured Eswatini, Madagascar, Comoros, and Lesotho; and Pot 3 contained Seychelles and Mauritius, who did not compete in the previous edition.[10]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3
  Zimbabwe
  Botswana
  Namibia
  Angola 		  Eswatini
  Madagascar
  Lesotho
  Comoros 		  Mauritius
  Seychelles

Venues

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Gqeberha has been selected as the host city for this year's tournament, with two venues located within the city itself and one in the nearby iBhayi township, including the renowned Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Gqeberha Ibhayi
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Madibaz Stadium Wolfson Stadium
Capacity: 42,486 Capacity: 15,000 Capacity: 10,000
   

Officials

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COSAFA appointed 11 referees, 11 assistant referees, and 3 video assistant referees for the tournament. VAR was introduced from Matchday Three onward, a shift from the previous edition where it was only implemented starting from the semifinals.[19]

Referees
Assistant Referees
  •   Leungo Tsogang
  •   Polotso Maapara[b]
  •   Bernadettar Kwimbira[b]
  •   Mphatso M'matete
  •   Roda Mondlane
  •   Olivia Amukuu
  •   Nandipha Menze
  •   Diana Chikotesha[b]
  •   Lumbizai Musawa[b]
  •   Mercy Zulu
  •   Claris Simango[b]
Video assistant referees
  1. ^ a b c Main Referee and Video assistant referee
  2. ^ a b c d e Assistant Referee and Assistant video assistant referee

Group stage

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All times are local, SAST (UTC+2). The match schedule was announced by COSAFA on 9 October 2024.[20]

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   South Africa (H) 3 3 0 0 12 1 +11 9 Advance to knockout stage
2   Namibia 3 2 0 1 9 1 +8 6
3   Eswatini 3 1 0 2 6 5 +1 3
4   Seychelles 3 0 0 3 1 21 −20 0
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts


Eswatini  6–0  Seychelles
 Report
South Africa  1–0  Namibia
 Report
Referee: Thanks Nyahuye (Zimbabwe)
Namibia  7–0  Seychelles
 Report
Referee: Eness Gumbo (Malawi)
South Africa  3–0  Eswatini
 Report
Eswatini  0–2  Namibia
Report Coleman   12', 66'
Referee: Gloria Sambumba (Zambia)
South Africa  8–1  Seychelles
 Report
Referee: Grace Gimo (Zimbabwe)

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Malawi 3 2 1 0 11 1 +10 7 Advance to knockout stage
2   Botswana 3 1 2 0 6 1 +5 5
3   Madagascar 3 1 1 1 5 2 +3 4
4   Mauritius 3 0 0 3 1 19 −18 0
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Madagascar  5–1  Mauritius
 Report
Referee: Gloria Sambumba (Zambia)
Malawi  1–1  Botswana
 Report
Referee: Nteboheleng Setoko (Lesotho)
Botswana  5–0  Mauritius
 Report
Referee: Tania Marisa Duarte (Angola)
Malawi  1–0  Madagascar
 Report
Referee: Seonyatseng Tshephe (Botswana)
Madagascar  0–0  Botswana
Report
Referee: Mercy Chipo Mayimbo (Zimbabwe)
Mauritius  0–9  Malawi
Report
Referee: Nteboheleng Setoko (Lesotho)

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Zambia 2 2 0 0 10 0 +10 6 Advance to knockout stage
2   Comoros 2 1 0 1 3 8 −5 3
3   Angola 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 0
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Zambia  3–0  Angola
 Report
Referee: Grace Gimo (Zimbabwe)
Angola  1–3  Comoros
 Report
Referee: Thanks Nyahuye (Zimbabwe)
Zambia  7–0  Comoros
 Report

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Mozambique 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 4 Advance to knockout stage
2   Zimbabwe 2 1 0 1 3 1 +2 3
3   Lesotho 2 0 1 1 1 4 −3 1
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Mozambique  1–0  Zimbabwe
 Report
Referee: Vistoria Nuusiku Shangula (Namibia)
Zimbabwe  3–0  Lesotho
 Report
Referee: Vistoria Nuusiku Shangula (Namibia)
Mozambique  1–1  Lesotho
 Report

Knockout stage

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Bracket

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Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
31 October – Ibhayi
 
 
  Malawi0
 
2 November – Ibhayi
 
  Zambia2
 
  Zambia (p)0 (4)
 
31 October – Ibhayi
 
  South Africa0 (3)
 
  South Africa (p)1 (4)
 
 
  Mozambique1 (1)
 

Semi-finals

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Malawi  0–2  Zambia
Report
Referee: Vistoria Nuusiku Shangula (Namibia)
South Africa  1–1  Mozambique
 Report
Penalties
 4–1
Referee: Mercy Mayimbo (Zimbabwe)

Final

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South Africa and Zambia played the final for the third time in the competition's history, following previous encounters in 2019 and 2022, both of which ended 1–0 (one win for South Africa and one for Zambia).[21] the Host Banyana Banyana enters as the record champion with seven titles, while the Copper Queens holds one.[22] The two teams have met six times in the competition's history, with South Africa winning three matches and Zambia one, while the other two encounters ended in draws, each team winning the shootout once.[23][24]

Zambia  0–0 (a.e.t.)  South Africa
Report
Penalties
 4–3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Zambia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
South Africa
Formation: 4–2–3–1
GK 18 Ng'ambo Musole
LB 2 Melody Kapimpi
CB 19 Jackline Chomba
CB 5 Pauline Zulu
RB 8 Margaret Belemu (c)
DM 12 Evarine Katongo
DM 13 Esther Muchinga   57'
LW 23 Lungowe Namasiku
CM 10 Regina Chanda   57'
RW 11 Fridah Mukoma   14'
CF 9 Ochumba Lubandji   73'
Substitutions:
MF 6 Esther Mushota   57'
MF 17 Majory Mulenga   57'
Manager:
Florence Mwila
Formation: 4–3–3
GK 1 Jessica Williams
LB 5 Yolanda Nduli
CB 3 Sikelelwa Mhlanga
CB 4 Ntando Phahla
RB 18 Shannon Macomo
LM 6 Thalea Smidt (c)   101'
CM 19 Khutso Pila
RM 8 Isabella Ludwig   93'
LW 2 Asanda Hadebe
CF 13 Nobahle Mdelwa
RW 9 Tshogofatso Motlogelwa   78'
Substitutions:
MF 11 Kesha Hendricks   78'
Manager:
Maude Khumalo

Player of the Match:
Evarine Katongo (Zambia)

Assistant referees:
Claris Simango (Zimbabwe)
Leungo Tsogang (Botswana)
Fourth official:
Eness Gumbo (Malawi)
Video assistant referee:
Letticia Viana (Eswatini)
Assistant video assistant referee:
Imtehaz Heeralall (Mauritius)

Award

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The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament: the Golden Boot (top scorer), Golden Ball (best overall player) and Golden Glove (best goalkeeper).[25]

Golden Boot
  Fridah Mukoma   Ochumba Lubandji
Golden Ball
  Isabella Ludwig
Golden Glove
  Jessica Williams
COSAFA Fair Play Trophy
  Zambia

Statistics

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Goal scorers

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There were 75 goals scored in 21 matches, for an average of 3.57 goals per match.

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

Discipline

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A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:

  • Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
  • Receiving two yellow cards in two matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the group stage (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:

Player Offence(s) Suspension
  Marie Sarah Rasoanandrasana   in Group B vs Botswana (matchday 3; 28 October) Suspension served outside tournament
  Lone Gaofetoge     in Group B vs Madagascar (matchday 3; 28 October)
  Nasrine Hadharay   in Group C vs Zambia (matchday 3; 29 October)
  Moseme Khashane     in Group D vs Mozambique (matchday 3; 29 October)

Final ranking

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Pos Grp Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Final Result
1 C   Zambia 4 3 1 0 12 0 +12 10 Champions
2 A   South Africa 5 3 2 0 13 2 +11 11 Runners-up
3 B   Malawi 4 2 1 1 11 3 +8 7 Eliminated in
the Semi-finals
4 D   Mozambique 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1 5
5 A   Namibia 3 2 0 1 9 1 +8 6 Eliminated in
the Group stage
6 B   Botswana 3 1 2 0 6 1 +5 5
7 D   Zimbabwe 2 1 0 1 3 1 +2 3
8 C   Comoros 2 1 0 1 3 8 −5 3
9 B   Madagascar 3 1 1 1 5 2 +3 4 Eliminated in
the Group stage
10 A   Eswatini 3 1 0 2 6 5 +1 3
11 D   Lesotho 2 0 1 1 1 4 −3 1
12 C   Angola 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 0
13 B   Mauritius 3 0 0 3 1 19 −18 0 Eliminated in
the Group stage
14 A   Seychelles 3 0 0 3 1 21 −20 0
Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Broadcasting rights

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Country Broadcaster Ref.
  South Africa SABC, SuperSport [26]
  World FIFA+ [26]
COSAFA on YouTube [26]
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References

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  1. ^ "Gqeberha Set to Host Historic Cosafa Women's Championship". azscore.com. Scott Trenton. 5 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Sitsebe in historical 6–0 victory over Seychelles in COSAFA opener". eswatinipositivenews.online. 22 October 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Defending champions Malawi get tricky draw at HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women's Championship". cosafa.com. COSAFA. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Defending Champions Malawi Scorchers Eliminated from COSAFA Women's Championship 2024". nyasatimes.com. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Zambia clinches 2024 COSAFA women's championship title over South Africa in penalty shootout". zambiamonitor.com. Emmanuel Lungu. 3 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Zambia are HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women's Championship winners". cosafa.com. COSAFA. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  7. ^ "COSAFA Women's: Ruthless South Africa put Seychelles to the sword". africatopsports.com. 29 October 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  8. ^ "FOOTBALL FÉMININ - COSAFA - Les Barea surclassent le Club M Maurice". lexpress.mg (in French). 24 October 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  9. ^ "COSAFA Women's Cup 2024: Une Participation Encourageante pour les Filles". lagazettedescomores.com. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  10. ^ a b "COSAFA announces tournament format and draw procedure for 2024 Women's Championship". soccer24.co.zw. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Record-breaking 2024 COSAFA Women's Championship to be hosted in Gqeberha". cosafa.com. COSAFA. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Angola, Botswana, Comoros HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women's Championship profiles". cosafa.com. COSAFA. 11 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women's Championship profiles". cosafa.com. COSAFA. 12 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Malawi, Mauritius HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women's Championship profiles". cosafa.com. COSAFA. 13 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  15. ^ a b c "Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women's Championship profiles". cosafa.com. COSAFA. 14 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  16. ^ a b c "South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women's Championship profiles". cosafa.com. COSAFA. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Mighty Warriors handed fair draw for 2024 COSAFA Championship". zbcnews.co.zw. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Banyana Find Out 2024 COSAFA Women's Championship Opponents". idiskitimes.co.za. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  19. ^ "COSAFA take VAR implementation forward at Women's Championship". cosafa.com. 17 October 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  20. ^ "Fixtures out for HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women's Championship". cosafa.com. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Copper Queens to Face Banyana Banyana in COSAFA Final". zambianfootball.co.zm. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  22. ^ "It's Zambia v South Africa in final of COSAFA Women's Championship 2024". maraviexpress.com. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  23. ^ "COSAFA Women's: Copper Queens beat Malawi to Face Banyana Banyana in Final". africatopsports.com. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  24. ^ "Zambia to face South Africa in COSAFA regional women's final". cosafa.com. COSAFA. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  25. ^ "Banyana go down in Cosafa Cup final shootout". teamsa.co.za. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  26. ^ a b c "How to watch the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women's Championship 2024!". cosafa.com. COSAFA. 20 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
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