Young Buffaloes return for a third year running at the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier that will be staged in Blantyre, Malawi from August 15-24 and will look to build on earning a first point last season.
It has been a tough introduction to the regional competition for the side from Eswatini in the previous two years, but they showed promise and will use that experience to drive them on in 2024.
They were in Group B on debut in 2022 along with eventual champions Green Buffaloes from Zambia, who beat them 4-0. They then had a shoot-out for second place in the three-team pool with Olympique de Moroni of the Comoros but went down 1-0.
They lost their opener 2-1 to Costa do Sol in 2023 before a 4-0 loss to eventual champions Mamelodi Sundowns. But Buffaloes ended on a high when they met Olympique de Moroni again and this time came away with a 3-3 draw, their first point in the competition.
Young Buffaloes have been hugely dominant in their domestic league – when they won the championship in 2022, they did so by winning all of their 24 games, scoring 221 goals and not conceding a single one!
This time round they have been drawn in Group B and open their campaign against ‘home’ side Ascent Academy on August 16, with the Malawians from Lilongwe hoping for fervent support in the stands.
Two days later Buffaloes face debutants Gaborone United from Botswana, before they finish their pool play against UD de Lichinga from Mozambique on August 20.
The top two teams in each pool advance to the semifinals, with only the winner of the competition earning a place at the continental finals.
There they will join holders Sundowns as a second representative from the COSAFA region.
TOURNAMENT FINISHES
2023 – Group Stage
2022 – Group Stage
2021 – Did not qualify
| DATE | VENUE | OPPONENT | ROUND | RES | GOALSCORERS |
| 7-8-22 | Durban | Green Buffaloes | Group Stage | 0-4 | – |
| 11-8-22 | Durban | Olympique de Moroni | Group Stage | 0-1 | – |
| 31-8-23 | Durban | Costa do Sol | Group Stage | 1-2 | Ngcamphalala |
| 2-9-23 | Durban | Mamelodi Sundowns | Group Stage | 0-4 | |
| 4-9-23 |
Durban |
Olympique de Moroni |
Group Stage |
3-3 | N. Dlamini, Ngcamphalala, Dube |
GOALSCORERS
2 goals – Tenanile Ngcamphalala
1 – Nothando Dlamini, Mazwi Dube
RECORDS AND SEQUENCES
Biggest win: –
Heaviest defeat: 0-4 vs Green Buffaloes (2022); 0-4 vs Mamelodi Sundowns (2023)
Highest scoring match: 3-3 vs Olympique de Moroni (2023)
Longest winning run: –
Longest losing run: 4 games (from 07-08-22 – 02-09-23)
Longest unbeaten run: 1 game (04-09-23 – present)
Longest run without a win: 5 games (from 07-08-22 – present)
Total clean sheets: 0 matches (0%)
Total failed to score: 3 matches (60%)
Most goals scored in a competition: 4 (2023)
Most goals conceded in a competition: 9 (2023)
Group stage wins: 0 out of 5 (0%)
Knockout stage wins: –
