The HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship kicks off in Gqeberha from August 31-Spetember 11 where a new champions for 2022 will be crowned.

Tanzania return to defend their title, but will face stiff opposition among the field of 12 teams desperate for the trophy. We look at some of the key regulations for competition.

Deciding group standings
Group standings are decided in the first instance by the number of points a team has obtained in all games.

If two teams are level on points, then the first tiebreaker is number of points obtained in matches between them, ie the head-to-head rule.

After that it is down to the goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned and then greatest number of goals scored in all the matches between the teams.

If they still cannot be separated, then the following are applied in this order until there is a clear front-runner.

• The goals difference in all group matches
• A Fair Play system based on the number of yellow and red cards obtained by each team. One point is allocated to a team per yellow card and two per red. The team with the fewest points advances
• A drawing of lots conducted by the Organising Committee

If more than two teams finish on the same number of points, then the following is applied:

• The greatest number of points obtained in the matches between the teams concerned
• The goal difference in the matches between the teams concerned
• The greatest number of goals scored in the matches between the teams concerned

If after applying criteria, two teams are still equal, the criteria are again applied to matches played between the two teams in question to determine the final ranking of the two teams. If this procedure does not allow classifying them, the criteria listed below will be applied in this order:

• The goals difference in all group matches
• The highest number of goals scored in all group matches
• A drawing of lots conducted by the Organizing Committee

Semifinal line-up
The semifinal line-up will be as follows:

Winner Group B vs Winner Group C
Winner Group A vs Best 2nd Place

In the event that the Best Second positioned team is from Group A, the Organising Committee may, at its discretion, alter the fixtures accordingly.

Extra-time/penalties
Only the final will have extra-time, if teams are level after 90 minutes in the semifinals or third-place play-off, the contest will go straight to post-match penalties to determine a winner.

Disciplinary
If a player collects two yellow cards at the tournament, they are automatically suspended for the next game. A player sent off will also automatically miss the next game.

However, yellow cards fall away at the completion of the group phase with the exception of a second caution being given in the last match of the pool phase which will attract a suspension for the next match. Red cards do not fall away.

Squad sizes up to 23 players
Teams will be able to select a squad of 23 players for the tournament, which is in line with international competitions such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

This is up from the 20 players that had been adopted in pre-COVID-19 years, but with player welfare in mind and the games coming thick and fast, the size of the squads has been increased to give more opportunity for rest.

Number of substitutes is increased to five per match
This one will be to the delight of most coaches as they can now make up to five substitutions in a game, though these can only be done at a maximum of three different intervals.

This gives coaches a greater chance to sway the game with tactics, while for players it potentially helps to limit the strain on them.