With the football season winding down across the continent, international football takes centre stage in Africa as the Southern African region kicks off the annual COSAFA Cup in South Africa. The 12-team tournament begins on Wednesday, June 26, and runs until Sunday, July 7, 2024, in the coastal city of Gqeberha.
The draw for this year’s competition placed reigning champions Zambia in Group B alongside Comoros, Zimbabwe, and invitational side Kenya. Zambia, who hold the record for the most COSAFA Cup titles with seven, will aim to defend their crown against strong contenders.
Host nation South Africa, known as Bafana Bafana, will start their campaign in Group A, joined by Botswana, Eswatini, and Mozambique. South Africa, with five COSAFA Cup titles, will kick off their tournament against Mozambique at 16:00 GMT on Wednesday, following the opening match between Botswana and Eswatini at 13:00 GMT.
Fresh from their historic advancement from the group stages in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, the Brave Warriors of Namibia enter the COSAFA Cup with high confidence. Namibia is grouped in a challenging Group C with Angola, Lesotho, and Seychelles, and will begin their quest against Angola on Friday afternoon.
This 23rd edition of the regional competition has been a notable platform for discovering talent, with stars like Mamelodi Sundowns’ Peter Shalulile making their mark in previous tournaments.
Historically, Zambia leads the title count with seven COSAFA Cup wins, followed by Zimbabwe with six and South Africa with five. The tournament continues to be a significant event in the African football calendar, drawing attention to the wealth of talent in the region.
