Silver Strikers and Zesco Ndola Girls Chase COSAFA Women’s Champions League Spot in Gaborone
Eight women’s football clubs from across the Southern African region will converge on Gaborone, Botswana, between August 20 and 29 for the COSAFA Qualifier of the CAF Women’s Champions League, according to AllAfrica reporting on the announcement from the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA).
The eight-team tournament offers a single ticket to the continental finals of the CAF Women’s Champions League, the elite club competition for women’s football in Africa that mirrors the men’s equivalent in format and prestige. The COSAFA qualifier is one of several regional zonal competitions held across the continent, with the winners earning the right to represent the Southern African zone at the finals later in the year.
Teams in the Frame
Among the clubs confirmed for the Gaborone tournament are Silver Strikers, one of the traditional powerhouses of Malawian women’s football, and Zesco Ndola Girls, the women’s side affiliated with prominent Zambian club ZESCO United based in the Copperbelt city of Ndola. Both clubs carry domestic pedigree into the regional contest and will be among the sides seeking to claim the zone’s representative slot.
The full eight-team field features clubs drawn from across COSAFA member nations, including representatives from Botswana as the host nation. The tournament adds another chapter to the steady growth of women’s club football in the region, where several countries have moved over recent seasons to formalise and expand their domestic women’s leagues.
Pathway to the Continent
Since its launch, the CAF Women’s Champions League has provided a continental stage for women’s club football that had previously been largely confined to national competitions. The zonal qualifiers have become a critical first step on that pathway, giving clubs from smaller leagues the opportunity to test themselves against peers from neighbouring countries before reaching the broader African stage.
Action in Gaborone is scheduled to begin on August 20, with the final set for August 29.
Sources
This report was written from coverage published by the following news organisations. Follow the links for the original reporting.
