Fans will be in for a treat at the opening ceremony of the 2016 COSAFA Castle Cup at the Sam Nujoma Stadium in Windhoek on Saturday, June 11 that will officially signal the start of the two-week long festival of football.
The ceremony will precede the opening game between four-time winners Zimbabwe and an ever-improving Swaziland side that in itself will provide rich entertainment.
That match will kick-off at 15h00 and will be followed by a second Group A encounter between the island nation of Seychelles and Madagascar.
But before those is the opening ceremony at 13h15 that will see top local artist ADORA performing for fans. Gates to the stadium open at 12h00.
In attendance will also be Castle Lager SuperFans from seven of the competing countries – Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Swaziland and Lesotho.
The SuperFans are the champion supporters of their country and bring colour, vibrancy and passion to the stands.
Supporters can get a taste of the action early by booking their seat at the Sam Nujoma Stadium.
Tickets for this prestigious tournament are on sale for N$20 and can be purchased at all TN Mobile teleshops, the Namibian Football Association’s Football House, the Freedom Land Mobile Police Station, Greewell Police Station and at all TN Mobile Teleshops.
Friday, June 10 also sees the final leg of the 2016 COSAFA Castle Cup Trophy Tour which takes place at the UN Plaza in Katutura, Windhoek.
The event gets under way at 14h00 and will be attended by COSAFA Castle Cup ambassadors, former Namibia internationals Congo Hindjou and China Uutoni, and ex-Mauritius star Jean-Marc Ithier.
There will be a 5-a-side tournament open to corporate teams or individuals, which will also see a Namibia Premier League Ladies side take part, as well as teams from the LOC and Namibia Football Association.
Entry is N$2500 per team, with all proceeds going to the Football for Hope Centre and Special Olympics Namibia. Each team that enters will receive a t-shirt, cap and a draw-string bag.
The Namibia Ministry of Health, together with the Cancer Association of Namibia, have confirmed that they will put on awareness sessions for the Stop Cervical, Breast and Prostate Cancer in SADC campaign.
The COSAFA Castle Cup enjoys a wide profile, well beyond the borders of its member countries, and is an excellent chance for Namibia to showcase the beauty of the country and friendliness of its people.
Live television coverage, unprecedented for a competition of this nature, takes the event into the homes of people right throughout Africa and also into Europe and South America.
The tournament is one of a kind on the international calendar, given that no other regional event can boast a similar longevity or as wide a reach as the COSAFA Castle Cup.
Zambia and Zimbabwe have each won the title on four occasions since the competition was first played in 1997, with Angola and South Africa managing two wins each.
The 2016 hosts Namibia are also the holders after claiming their maiden title last year.
