Where are the last five Players of the Tournament?

The HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship is a chance to showcase the incredible talent in the Southern African region by providing players with the platform to display their skill and perhaps move on to bigger things.

It is certainly a competition that has met its aim and when the 2024 edition is staged from October 22-November 2, we will see more stars born and the next generation of talent come to the fore.

We take a look back at the last five footballers to have won Player of the Tournament and where they are now in their careers.

2019
HELLEN MUBANGA (ZAMBIA)
Zambia’s search for a first COSAFA Women’s Championship title was a long one before their victory in 2022 and they came mighty close in 2019 when they were edged 1-0 by South Africa in the final in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Mubanga contributed three goals to that cause, but it was her creativity that shone through as she laid chances on a plate for the likes of 10-goal hero Racheal Nachula.
After that she went on to play in Spain for Zaragoza, and was part of the Zambian side that shone at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
She suffered a knee injury that kept her out for a long period, but she went to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and played in the 3-1 victory over Costa Rica.

2020
HILDAH MAGAIA (SOUTH AFRICA)
Magaia scored four goals at the 2020 COSAFA Women’s Championship as South Africa claimed a fourth title in succession, but was also at the heart of all the good work from the hosts.
She led the forward line superbly and proved a handful for all defences, creating opportunities for others with her intelligence and skill.
That performance won her a move to Moron in Sweden, where she excelled with 12 goals in 19 starts last season. She later played for Sejong Sportstoto in South Korea but has since moved to the National Women’s Soccer League in the United States where she turns out for Kansas City Currant.
Her two goals in the final of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations won the title for South Africa as they beat Morocco and showed what a clinical finisher she is.
She also scored against Sweden and Italy at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and remains a key part of the team.

2021
AMINA BILALI (TANZANIA)
Bilali was a talismanic figure for Tanzania as they claimed the COSAFA WOMEN’S Championship crown in 2021 and was behind all the good work of her side as they romped to the title. She has continued to be a leading figure for the team and has captained the side.
She was a leading player for Yanga Princesses, where she was named Women’s Premier League Player of the Year in 2021, but has since joined JKT Queens and continues to be a big influence for club and country.
She featured for Queens at the CAF Women’s Champions League in the Ivory Coast in 2023.

2022
BARBRA BANDA (ZAMBIA)
It was tough to look past forward Banda for Player of the Tournament in 2022 after her 10 goals guided Zambia to their maiden title win.
She is one of the best strikers on the continent and after netting two hattricks at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, scored a brace when the Copper Queens picked up their first FIFA Women’s World Cup win with a 3-1 success against Costa Rica Down Under.
She continued that excellent form at the Olympic Games in Paris where she netted a hattrick against Australia and scored again against Germany.
Banda was on target twice for one of Zambia’s more famous wins when they beat the Germans 3-2 in a World Cup warm-up game in 2023.
She scored the winner against South Africa in the 2022 COSAFA Women’s Championship decider and at the age of only 24, has many years ahead of her to build her legend further.
She played her club football in Spain and China before moving to Orlando Pride in the United States in 2024. She has been comfortably the team’s leading scorer this season.

2023
TEMWA CHAWINGA (MALAWI)
Malawi stormed to their maiden COSAFA Women’s Championship win in 2023 on the back of Chawinga’s nine goals that won her not only the Golden Boot but also the Player of the Tournament prize.
The 26-year-old has had a meteoric rise in recent years after scoring 51 goals across all competitions for her former Chinese side Wuhan Jianghan that led to a move to Kansas City in the United States.
She has this year set a new record for most goals in a NWSL season with 19 and counting, and emerged as one of the top forwards in that elite competition and possibly the world.
Temwa, whose older sister Tabitha has been a prolific scorer with Inter Milan, Paris St Germain and now Lyon in Europe, started her career overseas at Kvarnsvedens IK in Sweden before her move to China in 2020.
She has been a top performer to come out of the Southern African region in recent years and a scary thought for defences around the world – she may not have reached her peak yet.