Group-by-Group: CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier Botswana 2026
The CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier Botswana 2026 will bring together eight leading clubs from Southern Africa in Gaborone from August 20-29, with the winner earning the region’s single place at the continental finals.
The teams have been split into two groups of four, with the top two in each pool advancing to the semi-finals. There is a fascinating mix of former champions, recent finalists and debutants, while several sides will renew rivalries from previous editions of the competition.
Here is a group-by-group look at the contenders.
GROUP A
Gaborone United Ladies (Botswana)
ZESCO Ndola Girls (Zambia)
Herentals Queens (Zimbabwe)
Lesotho Defence Force (Lesotho)
Group A brings together the defending champions, the 2025 runners-up, a former semi-finalist and a Lesotho Defence Force side returning to the tournament after a three-year absence.
Hosts Gaborone United Ladies have been among the most consistent sides in the competition over the last two seasons, reaching successive finals. They were runners-up to UWC Ladies in 2024, losing 9-8 on penalties following a 1-1 draw, before going one better in Johannesburg last year.
United defeated Costa do Sol 3-1 in the 2025 semi-finals and then edged ZESCO Ndola Girls 4-3 on penalties after another 1-1 draw in the decider. They come into the 2026 tournament unbeaten in their nine previous COSAFA qualifier matches, with five wins and four draws.
They have also already faced two of their Group A opponents in the competition. United defeated Herentals Queens 1-0 in the 2024 semi-finals through a late Yaone Modise goal, while their only previous meeting with ZESCO was that dramatic 2025 final.
ZESCO Ndola Girls return with unfinished business following a superb debut campaign last year. The Zambian champions won three of their five matches and scored 11 goals on their way to the final, where they came within a penalty shoot-out of the title.
They defeated Beauties FC 3-0 and Ntopwa FC 5-3 in the group stage, either side of a 1-0 loss to Mamelodi Sundowns, before gaining revenge with an excellent 2-1 victory over the South African champions in the semi-finals. That remains Sundowns’ only defeat in ordinary time in the history of the regional qualifier.
ZESCO arrive as back-to-back Zambia Women’s Super League champions and will hope to become the second Zambian club to lift the regional trophy after Green Buffaloes in 2022.
Herentals Queens are making a third successive appearance and have already shown they can compete with the region’s best.
They reached the semi-finals on debut in 2024 after victories over Ongos SC and former champions Green Buffaloes, before a 1-0 loss to Gaborone United ended their challenge. They returned in 2025 but finished second in their three-team pool and missed out on the semi-finals on goal difference despite a 4-2 victory over Olympic de Moroni.
Their overall tournament record stands at three wins and three defeats from six games, with nine goals scored and eight conceded.
Lesotho Defence Force complete the pool and will be making their third appearance, but first since 2023.
Their debut in 2021 was difficult as they suffered 6-0 defeats to eventual champions Mamelodi Sundowns and Double Action Ladies, but did earn a 1-1 draw with Manzini Wanderers. They were much more competitive two years later, drawing 1-1 with Ntopwa before narrow defeats to Double Action Ladies and Green Buffaloes.
LDF are still searching for their first victory in the competition, with two draws and four defeats from six previous matches.
Past meetings in Group A
There have been two previous match-ups involving the current Group A sides at this competition.
Gaborone United defeated Herentals Queens 1-0 in the 2024 semi-finals, while United and ZESCO Ndola Girls drew 1-1 in the 2025 final before the Botswana side won 4-3 on penalties.
That makes the final Group A fixture between Gaborone United and ZESCO on August 24 an immediate rematch of last year’s decider. The group opens on August 20 when ZESCO face Herentals Queens and Gaborone United take on Lesotho Defence Force.
GROUP B
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies (South Africa)
Costa do Sol (Mozambique)
Silver Strikers Ladies (Malawi)
Nsingizini Hotspurs (Eswatini)
Group B contains the most successful club in the history of the regional qualifier, another side with two semi-final appearances, and two intriguing debutants.
Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies have set the benchmark since the competition was launched. They are appearing in the regional finals for a fifth time, having only missed 2024 when they received a bye to the continental finals as African champions.
Sundowns won the COSAFA title in 2021 and 2023 and were runners-up in 2022, when they lost to Green Buffaloes on penalties following a goalless draw. They also went on to become African champions in 2021 and 2023.
Their record in this competition is formidable: 14 wins, two draws and only one defeat in 17 matches, with 64 goals scored and just six conceded.
That sole defeat came against ZESCO Ndola Girls in last year’s semi-finals after Sundowns had won all three of their group matches without conceding.
Costa do Sol will be making their fourth appearance and have steadily improved since a difficult tournament debut in 2022.
They reached the semi-finals in 2023 after group-stage victories over Young Buffaloes and Olympic de Moroni, and went on to defeat Green Buffaloes 2-1 in the third-place play-off.
The Mozambican side were back in the last four in 2025. They defeated Herentals Queens 2-0 and drew 2-2 with Olympic de Moroni to advance from their pool before eventual champions Gaborone United ended their challenge with a 3-1 semi-final victory.
Costa do Sol have played 10 matches in the competition, winning four, drawing one and losing five.
They will know all about Sundowns, having suffered heavy defeats in their two previous meetings. The South Africans won 8-1 in 2022 and 4-0 the following year.
Silver Strikers Ladies are among the newcomers and arrive in Botswana following an outstanding domestic season in Malawi.
The Lilongwe club won the inaugural National Bank of Malawi Women’s Premiership and become the third Malawian side to contest the COSAFA qualifier after Ntopwa FC and Ascent Soccer Academy.
Formerly known as DD Sunshine before becoming part of the Silver Strikers set-up in 2023, they won 16 of their 18 league matches under coach Andrew Chikhosi. Forward Deborah Henry was particularly prolific, scoring 23 goals in 18 appearances and finishing as the league’s leading scorer.
Their tournament debut will come against Costa do Sol on August 21, and they will be seeking to become the first Malawian club to progress beyond the group stages of the regional competition.
Fellow debutants Nsingizini Hotspurs earned their place after breaking the long dominance of Young Buffaloes in the Eswatini Women Football League.
The Shiselweni-based club secured the championship with a 1-0 victory over Young Buffaloes in a title decider in June, with Patience Ndhlovu scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute.
They have already gained some experience against South African opposition at the Pirates Cup in Johannesburg, where they advanced from the group stage unbeaten and eventually finished fourth. Ndhlovu scored five goals in that competition, while Siphelele Mpanza was named the 2025/26 Eswatini Women Football League Player of the Season.
Past meetings in Group B
The only previous COSAFA qualifier meetings between teams in this group have been the two clashes between Mamelodi Sundowns and Costa do Sol.
Sundowns won 8-1 in the 2022 group stages and followed that with a 4-0 victory in 2023, giving them a combined 12-1 scoreline across the two fixtures.
Silver Strikers and Nsingizini Hotspurs are both making their tournament debuts, so their clashes with the other Group B teams will be first meetings in the regional qualifier.
Group B starts on August 21 with Costa do Sol against Silver Strikers, followed by Sundowns against Nsingizini Hotspurs. The pool concludes on August 25 when Silver Strikers face Nsingizini and Sundowns renew their rivalry with Costa do Sol.
The top two sides from each group will move into the semi-finals on August 27, with the final to be played at GU Stadium on August 29.
