Eswatini U20 women hope to show improvement at Region 5 Games
Eswatini did not compete in the 2024 COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship but will return to the big stage in this age-group at the Region 5 Games that will be played in Windhoek, Namibia from July 4-13.
They were present at the inaugural COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship in 2019, but it proved as chastening experience as they lost all three games, scored no goals and conceded 15.
They will want to show their vast improvement since then and put on a much better show as they face Angola (July 5), South africa (July 7) and Zambia (July 9) in a tough Group B in Namibia.
Six years ago at the inaugural COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship they lost 4-0 to Zambia, 8-0 to eventual winners Tanzania and 3-0 to Botswana.
Eswatini first entered the qualifiers for the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in the 2022 edition and were narrowly beaten 2-0 on aggregate by Mozambique in the first round.
They had a walkover win against Gabon in the first round of the qualifiers for the 2024 edition, which set up a meeting with powerhouse Ghana. They lost 8-1 on aggregate.
They will feature in the 2026 qualifiers too and have a first round meeting with neighbours South Africa in September.
This COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship will provide the perfect preparation for that tie.
