The TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League l COSAFA Qualifier from August 26 to September 4 provides the seven competing teams with not only the chance to claim bragging rights in the region, but also to represent their nation on the continental stage.

The tournament serves as the Southern African qualifier for the inaugural continental Champions League that will be staged in Cairo, Egypt later this year.  It is a massive step forward for women’s football, not just in the region, but also Africa as a whole, and ushers in a new era for the game that can only go from strength-to-strength.

The winner of the COSAFA competition will go forward to compete against the best from the rest of the continent, and that is an exciting prospect for players and coaches alike, not least because it will raise the standard of clubs across the region.

“With the COSAFA and CAF Women’s Champions Leagues coming on board, I believe we will have the chance to compete with the European countries in the future,” says Jerry Tshabalala, coach of Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies.

“How will the CAF tournament help us? Because of the increased level of competition among the players, one would know that after winning my local league, the chances are there for me to go and compete against the other African countries.   It would mean a lot for us to qualify. This is something that I always repeat in my interviews. If you recall when our previous president, Dr Patrice Motsepe, took over at Mamelodi Sundowns he said he wants the club to dominate African football.”

“He wasn’t just speaking about the men’s side. He knew that something like this women’s Champions League would come, so now is our chance as Sundowns to go out there and fulfil our former president’s vision.”

Tshabalala believes that teams should also be looking to play beyond the continent too and hopes FIFA’s plans for a Women’s Club World Cup come to fruition soon.

“Why not also have a FIFA Club World Cup? That is something I am hoping will come in the near future. I hope the ladies will be more motivated to say, let’s do our best so we can compete with the best in the world.”

The coach of Lesotho Defence Force, former senior men’s international Lengana Nkhethoa, echoes those thoughts.

“It’s a big opportunity, we don’t have that many players in our country that are playing abroad, so it will be a big opportunity for them to give themselves exposure to play for teams outside Lesotho,” he says.

“That experience will give our national team the opportunity to improve also. It can make all our young players better. It is huge for women’s football.”

Lydiana Nanamus, vice-captain of Namibian side TURA Magic, says the players will be motivated in their domestic competition knowing they have a chance to compete in a regional, and then continental, Champions League.

“We now have something more to play for, not only to win the league in our country, but also to qualify for the Champions League. It is a great thing for the whole African continent,” she said.

Dr Motsepe, who was elevated to Confederation of African Football President last year, has made growing the game on the continent a key feature of his tenure.

“We want women’s football to be significantly growing and progressing in the period of my presidency,” he said.

“What excites me is what we can potentially do. We have 280-million young Africans on this continent between the ages of 15 to 24. Football has a unique role to play in providing opportunities to these youth.”

The TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League l COSAFA Qualifier pool stage draw saw South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies seeded in Group A, where they will take on Lesotho Defence Force, Double Action Ladies from Botswana, and Eswatini’s Manzini Wanderers.

Zambian side Green Buffaloes are the seeds in the three-team Group B and have been drawn alongside Black Rhinos Queens of Zimbabwe and TURA Magic. The top two teams in each pool advance to the semifinals.