COSAFA Cup

The COSAFA Cup is an annual tournament for teams from Southern Africa organized by Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA), created after the ban against the Republic of South Africa had been lifted and the African Cup of Nations had been staged there in 1996.

History
Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini (Swaziland), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have been in the tournament in the past. Additionally, seven non-COSAFA members have played: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Senegal.

Results
YearHostFinalThird Place MatchWinnerScoreRunner-up3rd PlaceScore4th Place1997DetailsHome/away1998DetailsHome/away1999DetailsHome/away1–0 1–1 and 2000DetailsHome/away3–0 3–0 and 2001DetailsHome/away0–0 1–02–12002DetailsHome/away3–1 1–0 and 2003DetailsHome/away2–1 2–0  and 2004DetailsVarious hosts0–0(5–4 pen.) and 2005Details1–0 and 2006DetailsVarious hosts2–0 and 2007Details0–0 (4–3 pen.) and 2008Details2–12–02009Details3–11–02010 Cancelled Cancelled2013Details2–02–12015Details2–02–12016Details3–21–02017Details3–10–0(4–2 pen.)2018Details4–2 1–02019Details1–0 2–2 (5–4 pen.)2021Details0–0  (5–4 pen.)1–1  (4–2 pen.)2022Details1–0 1–1  (4–2 pen.)2023Details1–00–0(5–3 pen.)
 A round-robin tournament determined the final standings.

Teams reaching the top four

Team WinnersRunners-upThird PlaceFourth PlaceSemi-finalistsTop 4 Finishes7 (1997, 1998, 2006, 2013, 2019, 2022, 2023)6 (2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2017, 2018)1 (2008)1 (2001)3 (1999, 2002, 2003)196 (2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2017, 2018)3 (1998, 2001, 2013)1 (2019)2 (2004, 2006)125 (2002, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2021)2 (2013, 2023)1 (2009)2 (2000, 2005)103 (1999, 2001, 2004)1 (2006)1 (1998)2 (2000, 2005)71 (2015)3 (1997, 1999, 2022)1 (1998)52 (2008, 2015)2 (1997, 2009)2 (2021, 2022)2 (2004, 2007)82 (2002, 2003)1 (2001)1 (2023)42 (2016, 2019)1 (2015)2 (2006, 2007)52 (2000, 2023)1 (2018)3 (2013, 2017, 2019)61 (2021)1 (2022)22 (2016, 2021)3 (1999, 2002, 2003)51 (2015)2 (2008, 2018)31 (2017)1 (1997)21 (2016)1

Participating nations
Legend

 – Champions
 – Runners-up
 – Third place
 – Fourth place
5th – Fifth place

 – Semi-finals
QF – Quarter-finals
GS – Group stage
1R – First round
2R – Second round

Q – Qualified
 — Hosts
 –  – Did not enter
 ––  – Withdrew before qualification / Banned

 Team 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 200920102 2013 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 Total  – 3rd 1st SF 1st  QF  1R 1st SF 2nd  1R  QF  QF  x  QF  –  GS  GS  GS  ––1  –  GS  GS 18  1R  1R  2R  1R  1R  1R  QF  QF  1R SF SF  QF  QF  x  GS 4th 2nd  QF  QF 2nd  GS  QF  GS 22  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  GS  GS  x  –  –  –  –  GS  QF  ––1  GS  GS 6  1R  1R SF  QF  QF SF SF  QF  1R  1R  1R  GS  GS  x  GS  GS 3rd  QF  QF  GS 3rd    GS 22  1R  1R  QF 2nd  QF  1R  1R  1R  1R  1R  1R  GS  GS  x 4th  GS  QF 4th 3rd 4th  GS  GS 2nd 22  –  –  –  ––  –  QF  QF  1R  1R  1R  1R 4th  ––1  x  – 3rd  GS  GS 4th  –  ––1    – 12  5th  1R  2R  QF SF 2nd 2nd  QF  1R  1R  1R  GS  QF  x  QF  QF  GS  GS  GS  QF  GS  GS 4th 22  –  –  –  1R  QF  1R  1R  QF  1R  1R  1R  GS  GS  x  GS  GS  GS  GS  GS  GS  –  GS  GS 18 3rd  5th  QF  1R  1R  QF  QF SF  1R  1R SF 2nd 3rd  x  QF 2nd  QF  GS  GS  GS 4th 4th  GS 22 2nd 4th 2nd  QF  1R  1R  1R  1R  1R  1R  1R  QF  QF  x  QF 1st  QF  QF  QF  GS  GS 2nd  GS 22  –  –  –  ––  –  –  –  –  1R  1R  1R  GS  GS  x  GS  GS  GS  GS  GS  GS  –  GS  GS 13 –  1R  QF SF  QF 1st  QF  1R SF  1R 1st 1st 4th  x 3rd  QF 1st  QF  QF  QF 1st  QF 3rd 21 1st 1st SF  QF SF SF SF 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd 3rd 2nd  x 1st  QF  QF 2nd 2nd 1st  GS 1st 1st 22  1R 2nd  QF 1st 2nd  QF 1st SF 1st SF  1R  QF 1st  x 2nd  GS  GS 1st 1st 3rd  GS  –  –  20Guest Nations * –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  – 4th  –  –  –  –  –  –  1 * –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  ––1  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  0 * –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  QF  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  1 * –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  GS  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  1 * –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  – –  –  –  –  – 2nd 3rd  –  2 *4th  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  ––1  GS  – 3rd  –  –  –  –  –  3 * –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –  – –  –  –  –  QF  –  –  –  1Total  9  10  10  11  11  12  12  12  13  13  13  14  13  0 (14)  13  14  14  14  14  13  10  14  12 
*D.R. Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Senegal are not COSAFA members, but have been invited to participate in the past.
1 Withdrew from tournament.
2 Tournament not played.

Summary (1997–2022)
COSAFA Cup invitees are included in the table with blue.

RankTeamPartMWDLGFGAGDPoints121633222109348+45117220593417810049+5111332055301967729+48109421592317197662+1486521611915245970-1175621532016176557+873717431815124737+1068821591620236171-1068921511517195250+2621021531415245074-2457111236148143938+15012184088242557-32321361843111428-141514131916271964-45915293421312+113163132651015-51217131111104181200215-40191311154+142012020110221000000000

Top scorers
Peter Ndlovu of Zimbabwe and  Manuel 'Tico-Tico' Bucuane of Mozambique are all-time top goalscorers in the tournament with ten goals each. In 2021 Felix Badenhorst of Eswatini moved into second position with nine goals.

YearPlayerGoals1998 Tauya Mrewa  Peter Ndlovu  Shepherd Muradzikwa  Benjamin Nkonjera21999 Betinho32000 Luke Petros  Delron Buckley2200118 players tied12002 Mfanzile Dlamini  Rotson Kilambe  Teboho Mokoena  Siza Dlamini  Patrick Mayo22003 Peter Ndlovu  Noel Mwandila  Russel Mwafulirwa22004 Peter Ndlovu32005 Collins Mbesuma42006 Fabrice Akwa32007 Paulin Voavy32008 Phillip Zialor42009 Cuthbert Malajila42013 Jerome Ramatlhakwane42015 Sarivahy Vombola52016 Felix Badenhorst52017 Ovidy Karuru62018 Onkabetse Makgantai52019 Gabadinho Mhango  Gerald Phiri Jr.  Ashley Nazira32021 Sepana Letsoalo42022 Sabelo Ndzinisa3

 Notes 

References
 Kabelo

Other websites
Official site
COSAFA Cup at RSSSF

Category:Football competitions in Africa