A record-breaking HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship will get under way on Tuesday with he opening games in Group A at the iconic Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.
For the first time all 14 COSAFA nations will compete at the regional showpiece competition, making it the biggest senior women’s competition on the African continent.
Malawi will be the defending champions, the fourth side in as many years to lift the trophy after South Africa, East African guest nation Tanzania and Zambia were also recent victors.
The tournament gets under way when Eswatini play debutantes Seychelles at 14h00 CAT (12h00 GMT), before hosts South Africa face neighbours Namibia at 17h00 CAT.
Tickets for all matches at the COSAFA Women’s Championship are FREE on a first come, first served basis and can be collected from the venues on match-day.
If you cannot get to the stadium, all games are to be streamed on FIFA+, with a dedicated tournament page that can be found here.
For the first time this year, the Video Assistant Referee will be used from the final group games onwards as the licensing of match officials in the region to use the system has allowed for a greater number of matches to feature the technology.
The opening days in Group B take place at the Gelvandale Stadium on Wednesday when Madagascar take on Mauritius at 12h00 CAT and later defending champions Malawi face Botswana in a crunch clash that could have an impact at the top of this pool.
Only the four group winners advance to the semifinals, so there is little room for error.
Groups C and D have three teams each and they both start on Thursday. Perennial contenders Zambia take on Angola at Gelvandale Stadium at 12h00 CAT, before in Group D Mozambique are up against Zimbabwe at 15h00 CAT.
South Africa have never lost to their three opponents before and edged Namibia 1-0 at the 2022 COSAFA Women’s Championship, and then beat Eswatini 3-0 last year and 5-0 in 2020.
South Africa’s very first international back in 1993 was against Eswatini as they won 14-0. They have not met Seychelles previously in senior women’s competition, with the latter making their debut in the regional championship this year.
Namibia faced Eswatini three times at the COSAFA Women’s Championship between 2018 and 2022 and won on each occasion. Eswatini have yet to make it past the pool stages since their debut in 2002, while Namibia finished second in 2006 and fourth in 2022.
Holders Malawi will defend their title in Gqeberha having romped to the title in 2023 on the back of the goals of striker Temwa Chawinga.
They have had some tough tussles with Botswana down the years, including a 1-1 draw in 2022 and a 2-0 loss in 2018. But they have had the better of Madagascar on all three occasions they have faced them at the regional showpiece since 2018, winning 2-0 twice and 3-1 on their way to the title last year.
Mauritius have lost all nine previous games they have played at the COSAFA Women’s Championship and are the lowest ranked team in this year’s competition at 194 in the world and 46 in Africa.
Zambia have reached the last-4 in each of their last seven visits to the competition and aside from their victory two years ago, have two silver medals and three bronzes. They were runners-up to Malawi in the last campaign.
Angola were finalists on home soil in 2008 but have battled to get out of the pool before and since then. Comoros have played in four of the last five championships but have also not progressed to the knockouts.
Zambia met Angola in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying late last year and won both legs 6-0, while they also beat them 3-1 at the 2023 COSAFA Cup. Angola will be sick of the sight of them.
Zambia also played Comoros at last year’s tournament and won 5-1. Angola beat Comoros 5-0 when they clashed in Gauteng.
Group D will be a highly competitive. Zimbabwe were tournament winners on home soil in 2011, and also have two silver medals to their name. They finished fourth last year.
They were pipped to the bronze in 2023 by Mozambique, who completed their best ever showing.
Lesotho have yet to make it past the group stages but are dangerous on their day with star player Boitumelo Rabale.
Mozambique beat Zimbabwe 2-0 last year but lost 4-0 in 2019, while they last met Lesotho in 2018 and won 2-1. Zimbabwe also played Lesotho in 2023 and edged them in a 2-1 win.
L’Afrique australe en ébullition pour l’édition record
L’édition record du Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women’s Championship commence ce mardi, avec les 14 équipes de la région d’Afrique australe qui s’affrontent pour le précieux trophée. En guise de match d’ouverture, l’Eswatini croisera le fer avec les Seychelles à 14h au Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. A 17h, l’Afrique du Sud sera aux prises avec la Namibie dans le premier choc de cette compétition. La compétition se poursuivra jusqu’au 2 novembre.
L’hôte, l’Afrique du Sud, fait figure de proue dans le groupe A, espérant ajouter un 7e titre à son armoire à trophée. Bien qu’elle se présente avec une équipe expérimentale pour élargir son réservoir de joueuses, cela ne diminue pas les ambitions sud-africaines. Elle affronte la Namibie, l’Eswatini et les Seychelles et part avec un capital confiance, n’ayant jamais perdu contre ces équipes en sur la scène internationale.
L’Afrique du Sud a battu la Namibie 1-0 lors du Championnat féminin COSAFA 2022, et a battu l’Eswatini 3-0 l’année dernière et 5-0 en 2020. Leur tout premier match international en 1993 était contre l’Eswatini, où elles ont gagné 14-0. Elles n’ont jamais rencontré les Seychelles auparavant en compétition féminine senior, ces dernières faisant leurs débuts dans le championnat régional cette année. La Namibie a affronté l’Eswatini trois fois lors du championnat régional entre 2018 et 2022, remportant chaque rencontre. L’Eswatini n’a pas encore réussi à passer les phases de groupes depuis ses débuts en 2002, tandis que la Namibie a terminé deuxième en 2006 et quatrième en 2022.
Outre un record un terme d’équipes participantes, un autre événement s’invite également à la compétition. En effet, déjà pionnière sur le continent africain en matière d’introduction de l’arbitre assistant vidéo (VAR), l’instance d’Afrique australe ira encore plus loin lors de la présence édition en élargissant ses plans cette année.
L’année dernière, la COSAFA a utilisé le VAR à partir des demi-finales, mais cette fois, il sera également en utilisation lors de la dernière journée des matchs de groupe, portant à neuf le nombre de rencontres bénéficiant de ce système. L’espoir est que l’année prochaine, le VAR soit utilisé pour tous les matchs, mais pour l’instant, il n’y a pas assez d’arbitres certifiés dans la région pour le faire, un aspect sur lequel la COSAFA travaille activement.
Au niveau des poules, le groupe B, les tenants du titre, le Malawi, défendront leur couronne et ont été tirés au sort dans le même groupe que le Botswana, Madagascar et Maurice. Le Malawi a remporté le titre en 2023 grâce aux buts de l’attaquante Temwa Chawinga et espère conserver son titre cette année.
Le groupe C est constitué de trois équipes. Il comprend les championnes 2022, la Zambie, l’Angola et les Comores, ce qui laisse peu de marge d’erreur pour les équipes, seuls les vainqueurs du groupe accédant aux demi-finales. Le Groupe D s’annonce très compétitif, avec le Mozambique, le Zimbabwe et le Lesotho ayant tous de bonnes raisons de croire qu’ils peuvent progresser en tant que vainqueurs de la poule.
Ke Nako Gqeberha!
A cidade costeira de Port Elizabeth, agora conhecida como Gqeberha, está prestes a receber o emocionante Campeonato Feminino HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA, que terá início amanhã e se estenderá até 2 de Novembro. Este evento de prestígio reunirá 14 seleções da região da África Austral, prontas para uma batalha intensa em busca do cobiçado troféu. É quase como se fosse dito “Ke Nako” (chegou o momento) Gqeberha, ecoando as palavras do saudoso presidente sul-africano, Nelson Mandela, na abertura da Copa do Mundo de 2010 na África do Sul.
Em continuidade à edição anterior, sediada na província sul-africana de Gauteng, a estrutura organizativa optou por manter a utilização do videoárbitro (VAR). Em 2023, a COSAFA introduziu o VAR a partir das meias-finais. No entanto, neste ano, decidiram expandir sua utilização até aos jogos finais da fase de grupos, abrangendo nove jogos que contarão com este sistema implementado.
No Grupo A, as representantes do reino do Eswatini terão a honra de receber a jovem seleção das Seychelles, num confronto agendado para o Estádio Nelson Mandela Bay, às 14:00 horas. No mesmo local, a anfitriã África do Sul, sete vezes campeã, enfrentará a Namíbia às 17:00 horas.
Na quarta-feira, dia 23 de Outubro, as campeãs em título (Malawi) iniciarão a defesa do título contra o Botswana, que chegou aos quartos-de-final na Copa Africana das Nações (CAN) de 2022, em Marrocos. Este jogo do Grupo B terá lugar no Gelvandale Stadium, às 15:00 horas. Vale a pena recordar que o Malawi tornou-se o quarto vencedor distinto da competição em anos consecutivos, conquistando o seu primeiro título no campeonato realizado em Gauteng.
Foi um momento histórico para a equipa e uma vitória pessoal para a avançada Temwa Chawinga, que terminou como a melhor marcadora, com nove golos. Ela seguiu para grandes conquistas na Major League Soccer com o Kansas City.
A Zâmbia, vencedora de 2022 e cabeça-de-série do Grupo C, começará a sua jornada no dia 24 enfrentando Angola às 12:00 horas. No mesmo dia e local, Moçambique, outro país lusófono a par de Angola, terá um desafio marcado contra o Zimbabwe, às 15:00 horas.
Segundo o regulamento da competição, as melhores equipas de cada grupo avançarão para as meias-finais.
Três locais (Gelvandale Stadium, Wolfson Stadium e o emblemático Estádio Nelson Mandela Bay, construído antes do Campeonato do Mundo de 2010) serão utilizados em Gqeberha. Este torneio, aliado à realização frequente do Campeonato Sub-17 Feminino da COSAFA e às eliminatórias regionais para a Liga dos Campeões Feminina da CAF, tem sido um impulsionador do sucesso das seleções nacionais da região.
Com equipas talentosas, rivalidades históricas e o desejo de conquistar o troféu em jogo, o Campeonato Feminino HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA 2024 promete ser uma competição emocionante e verdadeiramente inesquecível.
