The COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship will be staged in Johannesburg from December 4-13 as 12 teams compete for the regional crown.
But more than that, it is a vital introduction to international football for many players in this age-group and the beginning of what they hope will be a rise through the age-group ranks and on to senior international football.
We have mini-profiles of Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius and Mozambique for you to get to know them a little better.
If you missed our profiles for Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini and Lesotho, you can find them here.
MADAGASCAR
Tournament finishes:
2019 – Group Stages
2020 – Did not enter
2021 – Did not enter
2022 – Did not enter
Madagascar made their debut in the very first COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship in 2019 and have not been back since, so this will be a welcome return for the side. They defeated Seychelles 16-0 five years ago, but defeats to Botswana (0-6) and South Africa (1-3) meant a group stage exit. They will be hoping to at least advance to the knockout rounds on this occasion.
All-time match record:
P W D L GF GA
3 1 0 2 17 9
Biggest victory: 16-0 vs Seychelles (Group Stage, 23/09/2019)
Biggest defeat: 0-6 vs Botswana (Group Stage, 21/09/2019)
ALL-TIME GOALSCORERS
6 goals – Alinah Lalasoa
3 – Lydia Razanajohary, Marie Raveloarisoa
2 – Jenny Randriamialimanantsoa
1 – Iloala Aniera, Laurencia Raheriarisoa, Charline Rondromalala
MALAWI
Tournament finishes:
2019 – Did not enter
2020 – Did not enter
2021 – Did not enter
2022 – Third
Malawi debuted at the 2022 tournament on home soil and ended up finishing third as they showed plenty of quality in their matches. They lost 4-1 to South Africa in their opener, but then thumped Namibia 12-0 to claim a semifinal place. They took old foes Zambia all the way, but following a 2-2 draw, lost out on penalties. They made up for that disappointment with a 9-0 thumping of Botswana to take bronze. The team featured players who have gone on to become senior team stars such as Rose Kadzere and Leticia Chinyamula.
All-time match record:
P W D L GF GA
4 2 1 1 24 6
Biggest victory: 12-0 vs Namibia (Group Stage, 05/12/2022)
Biggest defeat: 1-4 vs South Africa (Group Stage, 01/12/2022)
ALL-TIME GOALSCORERS
8 goals – Rose Kadzere
6 – Faith Chinzimu
4 – Leticia Chinyamula
2 – Sarah Mulimbika
1 – Anna Baziliyo, Linda Manda, Mary Mbalangwe, Chikondi Mgodi
MAURITIUS
Tournament finishes:
2019 – Group Stages
2020 – Did not enter
2021 – Did not enter
2022 – Did not enter
Mauritius appeared at the very first COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship in 2019 but have not been back since, so will hope to make a triumphant return to the regional showpiece event. They beat Comoros 5-1 in their very first match five years ago, but subsequent loss to eventual champions Uganda (0-11) and Zambia (0-8) meant they did not make it out of their pool.
All-time match record:
P W D L GF GA
3 1 0 2 5 20
Biggest victory: 5-1 vs Comoros (Group Stage, 20/09/2019)
Biggest defeat: 0-11 vs Uganda (Group Stage, 22/09/2019)
ALL-TIME GOALSCORERS
2 goals – Jerusha Ramasawmy
1 – Eva Pierrot, Marie Quirin, Marie Verloppe
MOZAMBIQUE
Tournament finishes:
2019 – Did not enter
2020 – Did not enter
2021 – Did not enter
2022 – Did not enter
It is perhaps surprising that Mozambique have not played at the COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championships before but will be making their debut in Johannesburg this time round. It is a short hop across the border for the side, who have shown good progress at senior national team level in the last while. They also recently appeared at the COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship that was also staged in South Africa, where they finished third to show the potential of women’s football in the country.
