COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship in Numbers

The COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship will this year be played as part of the Region 5 Games in Windhoek, Namibia from July 4-13, when eight sides from around the region look to lift the coveted trophy.

Here is a round-up of the numbers ahead of the championship:

0 – The number of COSAFA nations that have reached the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in the past. A number we hope to change soon as Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa and Zambia have all entered the 2026 qualifiers.

1 – East Africa guest nation Tanzania were the inaugural COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship winners when they lifted a maiden title in 2019 with a 2-1 victory over Zambia in the final.

1 – The only African player to win the coveted Golden Ball at the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup was Nigerian Asisat Oshoala, who managed the feat in 2014. She has since gone on to become a global star.

1 – Enekia Lunyamila (Tanzania) won then Player of the Tournament prize at the inaugural COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship that was played as a standalone tournament in 2019. Zimbabwe’s Cynthia Shonga won the Golden Glove as best goalkeeper.

1 – Botswana won one of their three clashes at the 2019 tournament, beating Eswatini 3-0 but losing to Tanzania (0-2) and Zambia (1-4). They drew one and lost three in 2024.

2 – There have been two standalone COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championships played in 2019 and 2024, though COSAFA have assisted the Region 5 Games with hosting their women’s Under-20 competitions.

4 – South Africa’s Adrielle Mibe and Ruth Muwowo from Zambia shared the Golden Boot at the 2024 COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship in 2024 when they netted four goals each.

5 – The COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship is one of five female football events on the COSAFA calendar this year, along with the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship, CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier, Girls African Schools Football Championship and COSAFA Under-17 Women’s Championship, which has already been staged in Namibia and was won by Zambia.

5 – Zambia’s Maylan Mulenga won the Golden Boot at the inaugural COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship when she netted five goals. That was one more than Shakeerah Jacobs (South Africa) and Enekia Lunyamila (Tanzania).

8 – There will be five teams competing in this year’s event, namely hosts Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

9 – The biggest victory in the short history of the competition is a 9-0 win for Zambia over Lesotho in the group stages in 2024.

11 – There have been 11 previous editions of the FIFA Women’s Under-20 World Cup, with Germany, United States and North Korea claiming three each. The 2026 edition is set to be staged in Poland.

42 – There were 42 goals scored in 10 games at the 2024 COSAFA competition in this age group, an average of 4.20 per game.

52 – There were 52 goals scored in 16 games at the inaugural COSAFA competition in this age group in 2019, an average of 3.25 per game.