- A repeat of last year’s final headlines a challenging path for Gaborone United Ladies after today’s CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier draw in Gaborone
GAZETTE REPORTER
Gaborone United Ladies will begin the defence of their CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier crown against familiar opposition after yesterday (Tuesday’s) tournament draw in Gaborone placed them in a competitive Group A.
The Botswana champions were drawn with Zambia’s ZESCO Ndola Girls, Zimbabwe’s Herentals Queens and Lesotho Defence Force for the regional competition, which runs from August 20 to 29 in Gaborone.
The meeting with ZESCO Ndola Girls revives last year’s final, where Gaborone United claimed the title after prevailing in a penalty shootout. Herentals Queens also return to the competition after proving difficult opponents in previous campaigns, while Lesotho Defence Force add further experience to the group.
Second Pool
Group B brings together South African side Mamelodi Sundowns, two-time winners of the tournament, with Eswatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs, Mozambique’s Costa do Sol and Malawi’s Silver Strikers.
The leading two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals before competing for the single place reserved for the COSAFA region at this year’s CAF Women’s Champions League finals.
Regional Record
Botswana will host the qualifier for the first time, becoming the third nation to stage the event after South Africa and Malawi. The 2026 competition is the sixth edition of the regional tournament.
Four COSAFA clubs have previously progressed to the continental finals: Mamelodi Sundowns, Green Buffaloes, the University of the Western Cape and Gaborone United.
Last year’s qualifier produced a record 63 goals in 15 matches, highlighted by Gaborone United’s 10-1 victory over Kick4Life. Gaonyadiwe Ontlametse scored five times in that match, finished the tournament with seven goals and remains the competition’s all-time leading scorer with 11.