Costa do Sol and Gaborone United Ladies team profiles
The CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier Botswana 2026 will be played in Gaborone from August 20-29.
There are eight teams competing this year as they all seek the single place reserved for the winners at the CAF Women’s Champions League continental finals.
Here are profiles of two of the teams: regular competitors Costa do Sol from Mozambique and defending champions Gaborone United Ladies of Botswana.
COSTA DO SOL
Costa do Sol return for a fourth appearance at the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier, having last competed in 2025, and will look to improve on their third-place finish from three years ago.
This time, they have been drawn in Group B alongside two-time winners Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa, Nsingizini Hotspurs from Eswatini and Malawi’s Silver Strikers.
They made their debut in 2022, but it was a tough introduction to the regional competition for the side from Mozambique.
They were in Group A alongside home favourites Mamelodi Sundowns, who beat them 8-1 in their opener. However, Costa do Sol improved in their second match, showing much more fight and organisation as they went down 2-0 to Double Action Ladies from Botswana.
A year later, they returned and showed much more quality as they finished runners-up in their pool.
They started with a 2-1 victory over Young Buffaloes from Eswatini before defeating Olympic de Moroni by the same scoreline.
Their final pool game was a 4-0 loss to Sundowns, but they had done enough to book a place in the semi-finals. There, they lost 2-0 to Double Action Ladies, but edged defending champions Green Buffaloes from Zambia 2-1 to claim the bronze medal.
They returned in 2025 and reached the semi-finals again, defeating Herentals Queens of Zimbabwe 2-0 and drawing 2-2 with Olympic de Moroni. They lost 3-1 to eventual champions Gaborone United in the last four. There was no third-place play-off on that occasion.
TOURNAMENT FINISHES
2025 – Semi-finals
2024 – Did not qualify
2023 – Third
2022 – Group Stage
2021 – Did not enter
| DATE | VENUE | OPPONENT | ROUND | RES | GOALSCORERS |
| 7-8-22 | Durban | Mamelodi Sundowns | Group Stage | 1-8 | Ninika pen |
| 11-8-22 | Durban | Double Action Ladies | Group Stage | 0-2 | – |
| 31-8-23 | Durban | Young Buffaloes | Group Stage | 2-1 | Janeiro, Goia pen |
| 2-9-23 | Durban | Olympic de Moroni | Group Stage | 2-1 | Goia, Maconho |
| 4-9-23 | Durban | Mamelodi Sundowns | Group Stage | 0-4 | – |
| 6-9-23 | Durban | Double Action Ladies | Semi-Final | 0-2 | – |
| 8-9-23 | Durban | Green Buffaloes | 3rd-Place PO | 2-1 | Maconho, Cazemba |
| 23-8-25 | Johannesburg | Herentals Queens | Group Stage | 2-0 | Leila, Eunencia |
| 25-8-25 | Johannesburg | Olympic de Moroni | Group Stage | 2-2 | Joana, Leila |
| 29-8-25 | Johannesburg | Gaborone United | Semi-Final | 1-3 | Latifo |
GOALSCORERS
2 goals – Goia, Leila, Maconho
1 goal – Cazemba, Eunencia, Janeiro, Joana, Latifo, Ninika
HAT-TRICKS
None
RECORDS AND SEQUENCES
Biggest win: 2-0 vs Herentals Queens (2025)
Heaviest defeat: 1-8 vs Mamelodi Sundowns (2022)
Highest scoring match: 1-8 vs Mamelodi Sundowns (2022)
Longest winning run: 2 games (31-08-23 to 02-09-23; 08-09-23 to 23-08-25)
Longest losing run: 2 games (from 07-08-22 to 11-08-22; from 04-09-23 to 06-09-23)
Longest unbeaten run: 3 games (08-09-23 to 25-08-25)
Longest run without a win: 2 games (from 07-08-22 to 11-08-22; from 04-09-23 to 06-09-23)
Total clean sheets: 1 match (10%)
Total failed to score: 3 matches (30%)
Most goals scored in a competition: 6 (2023)
Most goals conceded in a competition: 10 (2022)
Group stage wins: 3 out of 7 (43%)
Knockout stage wins: 1 out of 3 (33%)
GABORONE UNITED LADIES
Gaborone United Ladies FC have reached the final of the last two editions of the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier, losing in 2024 before bouncing back to claim the title in 2025.
That makes them the defending champions on home soil this time around as they seek back-to-back titles and another opportunity to compete at the continental finals.
They have been drawn in Group A alongside Lesotho Defence Force, Herentals Queens from Zimbabwe and ZESCO Ndola Girls, whom they edged in last year’s final.
United lost on penalties to the University of the Western Cape in the 2024 decider, having come close to the regional crown following an excellent showing at the qualifier in Blantyre, Malawi.
They topped their group after a thrilling 3-2 win over home side Ascent Academy, which followed draws with UD Lichinga from Mozambique (0-0) and Young Buffaloes of Eswatini (1-1).
That set up a semi-final against Herentals Queens from Zimbabwe, which United edged 1-0 thanks to a late winner from Yaone Modise.
They equalised in the final against UWC Ladies as the match finished 1-1 before going down 9-8 on penalties in a remarkable shoot-out in which there was only one miss.
They returned for the qualifier in Johannesburg last year and this time went all the way to lift the trophy.
They started with a 1-0 victory over Young Buffaloes before recording an incredible 10-1 win over Lesotho’s Kick4Life, the biggest victory in the history of the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier.
Gaonyadiwe Ontlametse netted a record five goals in that game, the most by a player in a single match. She took her overall tally in the regional qualifier to a record 11 goals, including seven in the 2025 edition alone.
United beat Costa do Sol from Mozambique 3-1 in the semi-finals before facing ZESCO Ndola Girls in a tough decider.
The match finished 1-1, but this time it was United who triumphed on penalties as they claimed a 4-3 shoot-out victory.
TOURNAMENT FINISHES
2025 – Winners
2024 – Runner-Up
2023 – Did not qualify
2022 – Did not qualify
2021 – Did not qualify
| DATE | VENUE | OPPONENT | ROUND | RES | GOALSCORERS |
| 16-8-24 | Blantyre | UD Lichinga | Group Stage | 0-0 | – |
| 18-8-24 | Blantyre | Young Buffaloes | Group Stage | 1-1 | Modise |
| 20-8-24 | Blantyre | Ascent Academy | Group Stage | 3-2 | Dithebe, Maponga, Moloi |
| 22-8-24 | Blantyre | Herentals Queens | Semi-Finals | 1-0 | Modise |
| 24-8-24 | Blantyre | UWC Ladies | Final | 1-1 | Moloi |
| 23-8-25 | Johannesburg | Young Buffaloes | Group Stage | 1-0 | Dithebe pen |
| 27-8-25 | Johannesburg | Kick4Life | Group Stage | 10-1 | Maponga 4, Ontlametse 5, Kenyaditswe |
| 29-8-25 | Johannesburg | Costa do Sol | Semi-Final | 3-1 | Ontlametse 2, Maponga |
| 31-8-25 | Johannesburg | ZESCO Ndola Girls | Final | 1-1 | Chomba og |
GOALSCORERS
7 goals – Ontlametse
6 goals – Maponga
2 goals – Dithebe, Modise, Moloi
1 goal – Kenyaditswe
Own goal – Chomba (ZESCO Ndola Girls)
HAT-TRICKS
Ontlametse vs Kick4Life (five goals, 2025); Maponga vs Kick4Life (four goals, 2025)
RECORDS AND SEQUENCES
Biggest win: 10-1 vs Kick4Life (2025)
Heaviest defeat: –
Highest scoring match: 10-1 vs Kick4Life (2025)
Longest winning run: 3 games (from 23-08-25 to 29-08-25)
Longest losing run: –
Longest unbeaten run: 9 games (16-08-24 to present)
Longest run without a win: 2 games (from 16-08-24 to 18-08-24)
Total clean sheets: 3 matches (33%)
Total failed to score: 1 match (11%)
Most goals scored in a competition: 15 (2025)
Most goals conceded in a competition: 4 (2024)
Group stage wins: 3 out of 5 (60%)
Knockout stage wins: 2 out of 4 (50%)
