The HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship will be played from October 4-15, when the best of the region’s talent will gather in the hope of lifting the prestigious trophy.

The tournament has become a hugely popular fixture on the COSAFA calendar, not least for the quality of the football, but also the entertainment value, with some star names lighting up the competition and going on to shine on the global stage.

We look back at the leading scorers from the last five editions and how they fared.

2018 – LINDA MOTLHALO (SOUTH AFRICA) – 4 GOALS
Midfielder Motlhalo is not necessarily known for her goals, though her excellent technique lends itself to accuracy in the box.
But she led the way at the 2018 COSAFA Women’s Championship in what was an excellent field with not much to choose between the leading sides.
She scored a hat-trick in a 6-0 win over Malawi in the first round, and got another in the semifinals as Banyana edged Uganda 2-0. That set up a final meeting with Cameroon, where South Africa triumphed 2-1.
Motlhalo has played in the United States, China, Sweden and now Scotland, where she turns out for top-flight side Glasgow City, and was a leading player at the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup.

2019 – RACHEAL NACHULA (ZAMBIA) – 10 GOALS
Nachula was on fire for Zambia at the 2019 COSAFA Women’s Championship, setting the tone with eight goals in their opening game as they beat Mauritius 15-0.
She grabbed two more in the semifinals against Botswana as Zambia made the final for the first time, though they eventually lost 1-0 to South Africa.
Nachula was a leading forward for the national team, though she missed the Tokyo Olympic Games with injury and did not feature in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco or the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The 37-year-old most previously played in Spain with Zaragoza and is a former Olympic sprinter.

2020 – SIBULELE HOLWENI (SOUTH AFRICA) – 8 GOALS
South Africa claimed the title again at the 2020 COSAFA Women’s Championship, though this time without many of their established stars.
But that allowed new names to emerge and one of those was Holweni, who caught the eye with her clinical touch in the box.
After scoring in a 5-0 win over Eswatini, she grabbed five goals in a 7-0 victory over Comoros.
She continued that form in the knockout stages with goals against Malawi and Botswana respectively in the semifinals and final.

2021 – SIBULELE HOLWENI (SOUTH AFRICA) – 5 GOALS
Holweni repeated her feat of winning the Golden Boot, though this time she managed five goals, which is still not bad for a player who now regularly turns out at left-back!
She grabbed a brace in a 3-1 win over Mozambique in the pool stages, before getting another two in the 3-2 semifinal loss to Malawi.
That put South Africa in the bronze-medal match against Zambia and Holweni was on target again, though Banyana Banyana ultimately lost on penalties as she missed the vital kick.
Still only 22, she has a long international career ahead of her and will likely be a key player for Banyana again this year having featured at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The former Under-17 national team captain currently plays for the University of Western Cape in the HOLLYWOODBETS Super League in South Africa.

2022 – BARBRA BANDA (ZAMBIA) – 10 GOALS
The Zambia goalscoring machine helped the Copper Queens to their maiden COSAFA title by scoring in the final against South Africa in 2022, one of 10 strikes in the competition.
That was double the number of anyone else as Banda dominated defences and has become a global star too after two hattricks at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and a more goals in Zambia’s 3-1 victory over Costa Rica in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
She scored a brace against Namibia at the 2022 regional finals, and followed that up with five goals in the 7-0 success against Lesotho. Banda added one more in the 2-0 victory over Eswatini.
He netted another in the 2-1 semifinal win over Tanzania before her winner in extra-time of the final against South Africa, sealing the unique achievement of having scored in every game of the competition.