COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship heads to Namibia

The COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship returns for a sixth edition to be played in Windhoek, Namibia from May 10-17, where two-time winners Zambia will seek to defend their title

The draw for the group stage has already been made, with the nine competing teams split into three pools each containing three sides.

Namibia headline Group A and will take on Malawi and Comoros in the pool, while Group B contains defending champions Zambia, Mozambique and Mauritius. Group C has Lesotho, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

The previous five editions have seen four different winners, the first two trophies claimed by guest nations.

Uganda pipped South Africa to the title in 2019, before Tanzania edged Zambia on penalties the following year.

Zambia did lift the trophy in 2021 with a thumping 4-0 victory over Botswana in the decider, before South Africa edged the Zambian 4-3 in a thrilling decider in 2022.

There was no competition played in 2023, but it returned to the calendar in 2024, with Zambia claiming a resounding 15-0 win over Lesotho in the decider.

Though early days, several players who have competed in this competition in the past have gone on to become senior internationals.

The very first finals in 2019 created history when South Africa set a record for an international match in Africa by defeating Seychelles 28-0 in the pool stages.

But over the years the games have become much tighter as teams in this age-group around the region become more competitive.

CAF does not have a continental finals for the women’s Under-17 age group, but teams do enter World Cup qualifiers, and the most recent of these saw Zambia qualify for the global showpiece event in Dominican Republic in 2023.

That was Zambia’s second participation after they also qualified in 2014, while South Africa (2010, 2018) have been to two World Cups as well.

Zambia are on track to go again and will play Benin in a final round of two-legged qualifiers staged over the next few weeks.

The winner of that tie will advance to this year’s World Cup in Morocco.

The COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship has also been played as part of the AUSC Region 5 Games in the past, but this year is a standalone competition only under the COSAFA banner.

PAST WINNERS
2019 – Uganda
2020 – Tanzania
2021 – Zambia
2022 – South Africa
2023 – Not played
2024 – Zambia

PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT
2019 – Jessica Wade (South Africa)
2020 – Tisilile Lungu (Zambia)
2021 – Pumulo Lubasi (Zambia)
2022 – Sinazo Ntshota (South Africa)
2023 – Not played
2024 – Mercy Chipasula (Zambia)

GOLDEN BOOT
2019 – Juliet Nalukenge (Uganda) – 18
2020 – Aisha Masaka (Tanzania) – 10
2021 – Lucy Kajiya (Zambia) – 3
2022 – Rose Kadzere (Malawi) – 8
2023 – Not played
2024 – Mercy Chipasula (Zambia) – 13

GOLDEN GLOVE
2019 – Daphine Nyayenga (Uganda)
2020 – Chitete Munsaka (Zambia)
2021 – Chitete Munsaka (Zambia)
2022 – Casey Gordon (South Africa)
2023 – Not played
2024 – Loveness Chingwele (Zimbabwe)