Defending champions Green Buffaloes will open their CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifiers 2023 campaign with a crunch clash against Double Action Ladies at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Durban at 15h30 CAT on August 30.
It is the start of a 10-day dash in the race to qualify for the continental finals of the CAF Champions League that are to be held in Ivory Coast in November, with only the winner of the COSAFA qualifiers sealing their spot.
The other match in Group A on the opening day will see Lesotho Defence Force take on debutantes Ntopwa FC from Malawi at 12h00 CAT.
The 2021 champions Mamelodi Sundowns begin their Group B challenge with a fixture against Olympic de Moroni from Comoros at 15h30 CAT on August 31. That will also be played at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.
Before that, Costa do Sol from Mozambique challenge Young Buffaloes of Eswatini at 12h00 CAT.
Each team will play three games in the pool stage, with the top two in each group advancing to the semifinals. Those knockout games will be played on September 6, with the final and third-place play-off set for September 8.
You can view the full fixture list right here.
Matches will also be streamed LIVE on FIFA+ and full details on how to obtain tickets will be shared at a later date.
Zambian side Green Buffaloes were the second winners in 2022, edging Sundowns on penalties in the final as both teams qualified for the continental finals, the latetr as defending CAF champions.
Double Action Ladies and Olympic De Moroni also return for another year. Double Action have appeared in both previous installments and reached the semifinals on both occasions. In fact, these two teams met for the bronze medal in 2022 with the Botswana side running out 3-0 winners. Last year was a debut for Olympic De Moroni.
Young Buffaloes return for a second year having lost both pool games in 2022, while Lesotho Defence Force played in the inaugural competition in 2021 and took a single point from their three pool games.
Costa Do Sol are back for a second year in a row having lost both games in 2022, while Malawi’s Ntopwa FC make their debut and are the first club from that country to play in the competition.
