# 2024 COSAFA Women's Championship

The 2024 COSAFA Women's Championship was the twelfth edition of the COSAFA Women's Championship, also known as the 2024 Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women's Championship for sponsorship purposes, the annual international women's association football championship contested by the women's national teams of Southern Africa and organised by COSAFA. The tournament took place in Gqeberha, South Africa from 22 October to 2 November 2024. The opening match was won by Eswatini for the second consecutive year, defeating debutant Seychelles 6–0 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, achieving their biggest win to date.
Malawi were the defending champions, having claimed their first title in the previous edition. However, their attempt to defend the title fell short in the semi-finals when they were eliminated by the eventual champions Zambia, who went on to clinch their second title after defeating host South Africa in the final 4–3 on penalties following a scoreless draw. Zambian players Ochumba Lubandji and Fridah Mukoma co-jointly won the Golden Boot scoring four goals each throughout the tournament. South Africa's Isabella Ludwig was voted the tournament's best player, winning the Golden Ball, whilst Ludwig's teammate Jessica Williams won the Golden Glove, awarded to the best-performing goalkeeper of the tournament.
Of the fourteen participating teams, Seychelles made their tournament debut, with them and Mauritius scoring their first-ever goals in the competition against South Africa and Madagascar, respectively. Comoros achieved their first win in the tournament after defeating Angola in the group stage.

## Format

The competition format was unveiled at the official draw ceremony held in October 2024. The tournament began with a group stage featuring four groups (two groups of four teams and two groups of three teams). The top team from each group progressed to the semifinals. The winners of the semifinals advanced to the final, while, for the first time since 2020, no third-place match was held.

## Teams
### Participation

A record 14 COSAFA Member Associations have entered this year's edition, marking the first time all members were participating. Of the 14 teams competing, 12 featured in last year's 2023 edition. Mauritius returned to the tournament after missing the previous edition, while Seychelles made their debut in the competition.
Note: All appearance statistics exclude the 2008 edition.
| Team | App | Last appearance | Previous best performance | FIFA ranking August 2024 |
| Angola | 7th | 2023 | Group stage (2006, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) | 148 |
| Botswana | 10th | 2023 | Runners-up (2020) | 153 |
| Comoros | 5th | 2023 | Group stage (2019, 2020, 2022, 2023) | 188 |
| Eswatini | 10th | 2023 | Group stage (2002, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) | 182 |
| Lesotho | 9th | 2023 | Group stage (2002, 2006, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023) | 176 |
| Madagascar | 5th | 2023 | Group stage (2017, 2018, 2019, 2023) | 190 |
| Malawi | 11th | 2023 | Champions (2023) | 156 |
| Mauritius | 4th | 2022 | Group stage (2017, 2019, 2022) | 194 |
| Mozambique | 10th | 2023 | Third place (2023) | 171 |
| Namibia | 8th | 2023 | Runners-up (2006) | 125 |
| Seychelles | 1st | — | Debut | 170 |
| South Africa | 11th | 2023 | Champions (2002, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) | 50 |
| Zambia | 11th | 2023 | Champions (2022) | 62 |
| Zimbabwe | 10th | 2023 | Champions (2011) | 124 |

### Draw

The final group stage draw took place at COSAFA House in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 8 October 2024 at 12:00 SAST (UTC+2).
For this edition, the top three teams from the previous tournament, along with the host nation, were automatically placed into the following positions. South Africa, the host nation, to position A1; Malawi, the 2023 champions, were assigned to position B1; Zambia, the 2023 runners-up, to position C1; and Mozambique, the 2023 third-place team, to position D1. The remaining teams were seeded into three pots for the draw: Pot 1 included Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola; Pot 2 featured Eswatini, Madagascar, Comoros, and Lesotho; and Pot 3 contained Seychelles and Mauritius, who did not compete in the previous edition.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 |
| Zimbabwe Botswana Namibia Angola | Eswatini Madagascar Lesotho Comoros | Mauritius Seychelles |

## Venues

Gqeberha has been selected as the host city for this year's tournament, with two venues located within the city itself and one in the nearby iBhayi township, including the renowned Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
| Gqeberha | Gqeberha | Ibhayi | GqeberhaiBhayi |
| Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | Madibaz Stadium | Wolfson Stadium | GqeberhaiBhayi |
| Capacity: 42,486 | Capacity: 15,000 | Capacity: 10,000 | GqeberhaiBhayi |

## Officials

COSAFA appointed 11 referees, 11 assistant referees, and 3 video assistant referees for the tournament. VAR was introduced from Matchday Three onward, a shift from the previous edition where it was only implemented starting from the semifinals.

### Referees

* Tânia Marisa Duarte
* Seonyatseng Tshephe
* Nteboheleng Setoko
* Eness Gumbo
* Vistoria Shangula
* Antsino Twanyanyukwa
* Akhona Makalima
* Gloria Sambumba
* Mercy Mayimbo
* Grace Gimo
* Thanks Nyahuye

### Assistant Referees

* Leungo Tsogang
* Polotso Maapara
* Bernadettar Kwimbira
* Mphatso M'matete
* Roda Mondlane
* Olivia Amukuu
* Nandipha Menze
* Diana Chikotesha
* Lumbizai Musawa
* Mercy Zulu
* Claris Simango

### Video assistant referees

* Letticia Viana
* Imtehaz Heeralall
* Abongile Tom
* 1 2 3 Main Referee and Video assistant referee
* 1 2 3 4 5 Assistant Referee and Assistant video assistant referee

## Group stage

All times are local, SAST (UTC+2). The match schedule was announced by COSAFA on 9 October 2024.
* Tie-breaking criteria for group play
* The ranking of teams in the group stage was determined as follows:
* Points obtained in the matches played between the teams in question (three points for a win, one for a draw, none for a defeat);
* Goal difference in the matches played between the teams in question;
* Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams in question;
* Goal difference in all group matches;
* Fair play points in all group matches (only one deduction could be applied to a player in a single match): Yellow card: −1 point;Indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;Direct red card: −4 points;Yellow card and direct red card: −5 points;
* Drawing of lots.

### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | South Africa (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Namibia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 6 | |
| 3 | Eswatini | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Seychelles | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 21 | −20 | 0 | |

### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Malawi | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | +10 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Botswana | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 5 | |
| 3 | Madagascar | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 | |
| 4 | Mauritius | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 19 | −18 | 0 | |

### Group C

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Zambia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | +10 | 6 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Comoros | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 3 | |
| 3 | Angola | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 | |

### Group D

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Mozambique | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Zimbabwe | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 | |
| 3 | Lesotho | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 | |

## Knockout stage

* In the knockout stage, extra-time and a penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.

### Bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| 31 October – Ibhayi | 31 October – Ibhayi |
| Malawi | 0 |
| Malawi | 0 | 2 November – Ibhayi | 2 November – Ibhayi |
| Zambia | 2 | 2 November – Ibhayi | 2 November – Ibhayi |
| Zambia | 2 | Zambia (p) | 0 (4) |
| 31 October – Ibhayi | 31 October – Ibhayi | | Zambia (p) | 0 (4) |
| 31 October – Ibhayi | 31 October – Ibhayi | South Africa | 0 (3) |
| South Africa (p) | 1 (4) | South Africa | 0 (3) |
| Mozambique | 1 (1) | | |

### Final

South Africa and Zambia played the final for the third time in the competition's history, following previous encounters in 2019 and 2022, both of which ended 1–0 (one win for South Africa and one for Zambia). the Host Banyana Banyana enters as the record champion with seven titles, while the Copper Queens holds one. The two teams have met six times in the competition's history, with South Africa winning three matches and Zambia one, while the other two encounters ended in draws, each team winning the shootout once.
| Zambia | South Africa |
| Formation: 4–2–3–1 ||
| GK | 18 | Ng'ambo Musole |
| LB | 2 | Melody Kapimpi |
| CB | 19 | Jackline Chomba |
| CB | 5 | Pauline Zulu |
| RB | 8 | Margaret Belemu (c) |
| DM | 12 | Evarine Katongo |
| DM | 13 | Esther Muchinga | | 57' |
| LW | 23 | Lungowe Namasiku |
| CM | 10 | Regina Chanda | | 57' |
| RW | 11 | Fridah Mukoma | 14' |
| CF | 9 | Ochumba Lubandji | 73' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 6 | Esther Mushota | | 57' |
| MF | 17 | Majory Mulenga | | 57' |
| Manager: ||
| Florence Mwila ||
| Formation: 4–3–3 ||
| GK | 1 | Jessica Williams |
| LB | 5 | Yolanda Nduli |
| CB | 3 | Sikelelwa Mhlanga |
| CB | 4 | Ntando Phahla |
| RB | 18 | Shannon Macomo |
| LM | 6 | Thalea Smidt (c) | 101' |
| CM | 19 | Khutso Pila |
| RM | 8 | Isabella Ludwig | 93' |
| LW | 2 | Asanda Hadebe |
| CF | 13 | Nobahle Mdelwa |
| RW | 9 | Tshogofatso Motlogelwa | | 78' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 11 | Kesha Hendricks | | 78' |
| Manager: ||
| Maude Khumalo ||
Player of the Match: Evarine Katongo (Zambia)
Assistant referees: Claris Simango (Zimbabwe) Leungo Tsogang (Botswana) Fourth official: Eness Gumbo (Malawi) Video assistant referee: Letticia Viana (Eswatini) Assistant video assistant referee: Imtehaz Heeralall (Mauritius)

## Award

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament: the Golden Boot (top scorer), Golden Ball (best overall player) and Golden Glove (best goalkeeper).
Golden Boot :
* Fridah Mukoma
* Golden Ball |
* Isabella Ludwig |
* Golden Glove |
* Jessica Williams |
* COSAFA Fair Play Trophy |
* Zambia |

## Statistics
### Goal scorers

There were 75 goals scored in 21 matches, for an average of 3.57 goals per match.
4 goals
* Ochumba Lubandji
* Fridah Mukoma
3 goals
* Jessica Modise
* Tenanile Ngcamphalala
* Leticia Chinyamula
* Sabina Thom
* Zenatha Coleman
* Fiola Vliete
* Kesha Hendricks
* Tshogofatso Motlogelwa
2 goals
* Celiwe Nkambule
* Marie Sarah Rasoanandrasana
* Asimenye Simwaka
* Ivone Kooper
* Sinamile Mkhwanazi
* Ayesha Moosa
* Regina Chanda
* Ethel Chinyerere
1 goal
* Marlene
* Keitumetse Dithebe
* Laone Moloi
* Gaonyadiwe Ontlametse
* Haloua Ahamada
* Alicia Chanfi
* Aliya Saïd
* Nokuthula Ndlovu
* Nthabaleng Potsane
* Louisa Nambininjanahary
* Haingo Ny Kanto Randrianarivelo
* Solomampionona Razananivo Mamonjy
* Faith Chizimu
* Catherine Kachala
* Maureen Kenneth
* Julie Gopal
* Aurora Ngale
* Célia Miguel
* Ninika
* Twelikondjele Amukoto
* Pascalina Moustache
* Nobahle Mdelwa
* Ntando Phahla
* Jessica Williams
* Charity Mubanga
* Lungowe Namasiku
* Christabel Katona

### Discipline

A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:
* Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
* Receiving two yellow cards in two matches; yellow cards expire after the completion of the group stage (yellow card suspensions are not carried forward to any other future international matches)
The following suspensions were served during the tournament:
| Player | Offence(s) | Suspension |
| Marie Sarah Rasoanandrasana | in Group B vs Botswana (matchday 3; 28 October) | Suspension served outside tournament |
| Lone Gaofetoge | in Group B vs Madagascar (matchday 3; 28 October) | Suspension served outside tournament |
| Nasrine Hadharay | in Group C vs Zambia (matchday 3; 29 October) | Suspension served outside tournament |
| Moseme Khashane | in Group D vs Mozambique (matchday 3; 29 October) | Suspension served outside tournament |

### Final ranking

| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final Result |
| 1 | C | Zambia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | +12 | 10 | Champions |
| 2 | A | South Africa | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 2 | +11 | 11 | Runners-up |
| 3 | B | Malawi | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 7 | Eliminated in the Semi-finals |
| 4 | D | Mozambique | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 | Eliminated in the Semi-finals |
| 5 | A | Namibia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 6 | Eliminated in the Group stage |
| 6 | B | Botswana | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 5 | Eliminated in the Group stage |
| 7 | D | Zimbabwe | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 3 | Eliminated in the Group stage |
| 8 | C | Comoros | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 3 | Eliminated in the Group stage |
| 9 | B | Madagascar | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 4 | Eliminated in the Group stage |
| 10 | A | Eswatini | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 3 | Eliminated in the Group stage |
| 11 | D | Lesotho | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 | Eliminated in the Group stage |
| 12 | C | Angola | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0 | Eliminated in the Group stage |
| 13 | B | Mauritius | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 19 | −18 | 0 | Eliminated in the Group stage |
| 14 | A | Seychelles | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 21 | −20 | 0 | Eliminated in the Group stage |

## Broadcasting rights

| Country | Broadcaster |
| South Africa | SABC, SuperSport |
| World | FIFA+ |
| World | COSAFA on YouTube |