History of the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship

There have been 12 previous editions of the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship since it was first played in 2002, each providing excitement and showcasing the quality of talent in the Southern African region.

Ahead of the latest edition in Polokwane from February 18-March 1, we take a trip down memory lane to recap the history of the competition.

2002
The inaugural COSAFA Women’s Championship was staged in Zimbabwe from April 19–28, 2002, and was set to feature nine teams before Mauritius withdrew. South Africa and hosts Zimbabwe were always going to be the favourites and it was they who met in the final. But before then, both stormed through their pools to make the semis.

Zimbabwe topped Group A as they claimed a record 15-0 victory over Lesotho, to go with wins against Zambia (4-0) and Malawi (6-0). Zambia managed to fill the runners-up spot.
South Africa were even more emphatic in their pool-stage campaign as they claimed victories over Botswana (14-0), a game in which Veronica Phewa scored eight goals, Mozambique (13-0) and Swaziland (4-0). Mozambique picked up the runners-up position in Group B.

Zimbabwe made short work of Mozambique in their semi-final with an 11-1 victory, while South Africa had it much tougher with a 3-1 success against Zambia in the other semi.

That set up a final at Rufaro Stadium that was won 2-1 by South Africa thanks to goals from Phewa and Portia Modise.
Zambia took the bronze medal when Julia Siame scored the only goal as they beat Mozambique 1-0 in the third-place play-off.

2006
South Africa retained their title at the second COSAFA Women’s Championship, which this time was played in Zambia.
Again, there were originally nine entrants, but when Mozambique withdrew the field was cut to eight, though it was still played with three groups.

Zambia and Namibia qualified for the semi-finals from Group A as they both managed four points. They opened their campaigns with a 2-2 draw against one another, before Zambia beat Swaziland 7-0 and Namibia managed a 6-0 win against the Swazis.

In Group B, South Africa won both of their matches as they defeated Lesotho (9-0) and Malawi (3-0) to top the pool. Phewa and Modise were among the goals, as well as Joanne Solomon, who managed a hat-trick in the first game.

With Mozambique out, Group C was reduced to two teams, so Zimbabwe and Angola essentially played over two legs, with the Zimbabweans winning 3-1 and 1-0 to advance as pool winners.

South Africa were too strong in the semi-finals with a 4-1 win over Zimbabwe, while Namibia edged Zambia 5-4 on penalties after the teams had played to a 1-1 draw.
Zambia took the bronze medal as they beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in the play-off, while South Africa fell behind to a Rita Williams goal for Namibia in the final, but Modise (two) and Kylie-Ann Louw netted as they roared back to claim gold.

2008
South Africa sent their Under-20 side to the 2008 COSAFA Women’s Championship in Angola because of a clash of fixtures for the senior national side, but still managed to come home with the gold medal.

A young Noko Matlou proved the hero with a hat-trick in the final, as she netted 12 goals throughout the tournament to underline her huge potential. She is still playing for the team today.

South Africa had been placed in a tough group but came through relatively unscathed as they beat Botswana (5-0), Zimbabwe (2-1) and Zambia (7-3).
That set up a semi-final with Namibia, where they were again forced to fight hard before goals from Tina Selepe, Lucinda Bowers and Matlou saw them win 3-1.

That set up a final against the hosts Angola, where Matlou shone again as her hat-trick saw South Africa win their third straight gold and keep their grip on the regional showpiece trophy.

2011
Hosts Zimbabwe became the first side to break South Africa’s hold on the COSAFA Women’s Championship when they picked up the trophy on home soil in 2011.
The tournament was played at two venues across Harare and included East African guest nation Tanzania.

Zimbabwe breezed through Group A as they claimed three wins from three against Lesotho (4-0), Malawi (8-2) and Mozambique (3-0). They were joined in the semi-finals by Malawi, who took the runners-up spot in the pool.

South Africa also had a perfect record in the pool stages as they claimed wins over Zambia (4-1), Botswana (4-0) and Tanzania (1-0), with Tanzania joining them in the knockout stages. Zimbabwe found the going tough in the semi-finals, though, where they were held to a 0-0 draw by Tanzania but held their nerve to claim the penalty shoot-out 4-2.

South Africa were much more emphatic winners in their semi-final as they defeated Malawi 5-1, with future national team captain Amanda Dlamini grabbing two goals. That set up a final with Zimbabwe, and it was the hosts who triumphed as Rufaro Machingura scored the only goal with six minutes remaining to claim gold.

2017
Zimbabwe were the hosts again in 2017 and made it all the way to the final, only to come unstuck against South Africa, who regained the trophy against their old foe.

South Africa eased through their first-round group with wins over Lesotho (3-0) and Namibia (3-1), but did drop points in their final match, a 1-1 draw with Botswana.
Zimbabwe had to rely on finishing as the best runner-up to advance after beating Madagascar 4-0, drawing 1-1 with pool winners Zambia and being held to a 3-3 draw by Malawi.

The hosts breezed through the semi-final stage, easily seeing off East African guest nation Kenya 4-0 thanks to goals from Rutendo Makore, Berita Kabwe, Marjory Nyaumwe and Privilege Mupeti.

The other semi-final was an absolute classic, one of the most thrilling women’s football games ever staged on the continent. Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda and Misozi Zulu had put Zambia 3-0 up with 75 minutes on the clock before South Africa rallied in remarkable style.

When Leandra Smeda headed home, Banyana Banyana were given a sniff, and those chances increased when Smeda added a penalty to make the score 3-2. The comeback was complete six minutes from time when captain Refiloe Jane tapped home at the back post to force the game to penalties.

By then the momentum was with South Africa and they held their nerve in the shoot-out as Esther Mukwasa missed her spot-kick to see Zambia defeated.
Zambia took the bronze medal with a penalty shoot-out victory over Kenya after a 1-1 draw in the play-off, but the final was again decided by late heroics from South Africa as Smeda scored a 90th-minute winner to give Banyana Banyana a fourth regional title.

Thembi Kgatlana had scored the opener just before halftime, but when tournament top-scorer Rutendo Makore equalised with 17 minutes remaining it looked as though the final would have to be decided by penalties.
But when Smeda popped up to head home Chantelle Esau’s cross at the death, she secured the trophy for her side.

2018
Cameroon and Uganda were two exciting guests invited for the 2018 championship, which was staged in Nelson Mandela Bay for the first time, as South Africa proved too strong once more for their rivals.

The 12 teams were split into three groups of four, with the top team in each pool advancing to the semi-finals, along with the best-placed runner-up.

South Africa won all three games in Group A, though they were run close in the first two with victories over Madagascar (2-1) and Botswana (1-0), before a 6-0 success against Malawi as Linda Motlhalo netted a hat-trick.

Zambia also claimed full points in Group B, beating Lesotho (2-0), Cameroon (1-0) and Mozambique (3-0) without conceding a goal. Cameroon were rampant in their other two fixtures, with wins over Mozambique (8-1) and Lesotho (6-0), to claim the best runner-up place and enter the semi-finals.

Uganda edged top spot in Group C ahead of Zimbabwe, the crucial fixture being their 2-1 victory over the Mighty Warriors.

A lone goal from Genevieve Ngo Mbeleck saw Cameroon edge Zambia 1-0 in the semi-final, a battle between two sides later headed to the 2019 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in Ghana.

South Africa were 2-0 winners against Uganda in their semi-final, with Motlhalo and Jermaine Seoposenwe on target. Uganda edged Zambia 1-0 in the bronze-medal match, while the final turned out to be a thriller.

Refiloe Jane gave South Africa the lead just before halftime, but Cameroon equalised through Ngo Mbeleck. Both sides had chances to win it before Jane popped up again in injury time to seal the victory for Banyana Banyana.

2019
A record 12 sides competed in the 2019 edition, with Comoros making their debut in the expanded event that was played in Nelson Mandela Bay.

It was a difficult debut for Comoros as they lost their opener 17-0 to South Africa, a record score in the championship.

There were 10 different goalscorers on the day, but Refiloe Jane (four) and Amanda Mthandi (three) led the way. South Africa made it three wins from three with victories over Malawi (3-1) and Madagascar (3-0).

Zambia edged Botswana on goal difference to top Group B, though both teams advanced to the semi-finals, with Botswana qualifying as the best runner-up.

Zambia humbled Mauritius 15-0, with eight goals for tournament top-scorer Rachael Nachula, before beating Namibia (3-2) and drawing 0-0 with Botswana, a result that suited both sides.

Zimbabwe topped Group C with a full haul of points, easing past Angola (4-1), Mozambique (4-0) and Eswatini (7-0).

They came unstuck against South Africa in the semi-finals, with the hosts winning 3-1, while Zambia defeated Botswana 4-0 in the other last-four match.
Zimbabwe claimed bronze with a 3-0 victory over Botswana in the third-place play-off.

The final between South Africa and Zambia was a tight affair, but a goal after 22 minutes from Tiisetso Makhubela sealed victory for the hosts and a hat-trick of titles for coach Dr Desiree Ellis.

2020
The COVID-19 pandemic meant there were only 10 competitors in the 2020 edition, but staging the tournament at all was a triumph of organisation, with a bio-secure environment put in place.

South Africa were crowned champions for the fourth successive year, though they were made to sweat by first-time finalists Botswana in the final.

Tournament top-scorer Sibulele Holweni netted her eighth goal early in the decider, and Gabriela Salgado added a second before Thanda Mokgabo scored late for Botswana to set up a nervy finish.

Banyana Banyana cruised through their pool with three wins from three, scoring 14 goals without conceding.
They were involved in an extraordinary semi-final where, after a goalless opening 45 minutes, the match finished 6-2 in their favour.

A pair of 1-0 wins over Tanzania and Zimbabwe gave Botswana passage from their three-team pool before they edged Zambia 2-1 in the semi-finals, showing organisation that made them one of the hardest teams in the competition to break down.

Tabitha Chawinga produced one of the standout performances of the tournament when she scored six goals in Malawi’s 9-0 victory over Lesotho.

2021
A new champion was finally crowned to break South Africa’s hold on the title, with guest nation Tanzania lifting the trophy.

A return to near-normality saw 12 teams compete, with hosts South Africa topping Group A and Malawi qualifying as the best-placed runner-up.

The two met in their opening game, with South Africa winning 2-1, before Banyana Banyana were held to a 0-0 draw by Angola. Victory over Mozambique in their final group game secured top spot.

Tanzania breezed through Group B with three wins, including a crucial 3-0 victory over Zimbabwe.
Zambia also won all three Group C matches without conceding, highlighted by a decisive 1-0 win over Uganda.

Tanzania and Zambia met in the semi-finals and drew 1-1, with Tanzania winning 3-2 on penalties.
The other semi-final saw Malawi shock South Africa 3-2.

Zambia defeated South Africa 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the bronze-medal match.
Tanzania edged Malawi 1-0 in the final.

2022
Zambia’s long wait for a regional title ended as they defeated an under-strength South Africa 1-0 after extra time in the final in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Barbra Banda scored the decisive goal, adding to her growing legend.

Zambia cruised through the pool stages with three wins from three, scoring 11 goals and conceding none. Namibia advanced as the best-placed runner-up.
South Africa topped their group with seven points, while defending champions Tanzania won Group C.

Zambia edged Tanzania 2-1 in the semi-final, while South Africa beat Namibia 1-0. Tanzania claimed third place with a 2-1 win over Namibia.

Zambia were deserved champions thanks to Banda’s late strike, which took her tally in the competition to 10 goals and earned her both the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament awards.

2023
Malawi became the fourth different winner in as many years, lifting their maiden title in Gauteng.

It was a historic moment for the team and a personal triumph for striker Temwa Chawinga, who finished as top scorer with nine goals and has since gone on to Major League Soccer success with Kansas City.

Malawi topped their pool with nine points, knocking out hosts South Africa, who had fielded an experimental squad.
Zambia topped Group B, with Mozambique advancing as the best runner-up, while Zimbabwe won Group C.

Defending champions Zambia edged Zimbabwe 1-0 in the semi-finals through a goal from Sarah Jere, while Malawi defeated Mozambique 2-1 thanks to two late goals from Chawinga.

Asaminye Simwaka put Malawi ahead in the final, but Zambia equalised late through an Agness Phiri penalty.
Just as penalties loomed, Sabinah Thom scored an injury-time winner to secure the title for Malawi.

Chawinga claimed both the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament awards. Cynthia Shongwe was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament, while Zambia received the Fair Play award.

2024
Zambia reclaimed the crown with a hard-fought penalty shoot-out victory over hosts South Africa in the final in Gqeberha.

The final finished 0-0, but Zambia triumphed 4-3 on penalties after converting all four kicks, while Khutso Pila and Asanda Hadebe missed for the hosts.

Both teams were without several star names and used the competition to blood new players, making it a success from a development perspective.

South Africa stormed through their group with three wins from three, including an 8-1 victory over Seychelles.
Defending champions Malawi impressed in winning Group B, highlighted by a 9-0 win over Mauritius and a key 1-1 draw with Botswana.

Zambia topped their three-team Group C with two wins, ending with a 7-0 victory over Comoros. Mozambique won Group D after beating Zimbabwe and drawing with Lesotho.

Zambia ended Malawi’s reign with a 2-0 win in the first semi-final, while South Africa needed penalties to defeat Mozambique following a 1-1 draw.

That set up a final in which Zambia kept their fourth clean sheet of the tournament and held their nerve in the shoot-out to lift the trophy.

South Africa’s Isabella Ludwig was named Player of the Tournament, while the Golden Boot was shared by Zambian duo Ochumba Lubandji and Fridah Mukoma, who scored four goals each.
South Africa’s Jessica Williams won the Golden Glove, and Zambia claimed the Fair Play award.