* Against Mozambican club Clube de Desportos da Costa do Sol in Group B alongside South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and eSwatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs
* All games will be streamed live on CAF TV, FIFA+ and COSAFA’s YouTube channel as well as on social media via X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Maravi Express
Silver Strikers Ladies have safely arrived in Gaborone, Botswana for the CAF Women’s Champions League-COSAFA 2026 qualifier, whose first match is on Friday against Mozambique’s Costa do Sol at 12h00.
They are in Group B alongside South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns and eSwatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs while Group A consists of the hosts’ Gaborone United FC, Lesotho Defence Force Ladies, ZESCO Ndola Girls FC of Zambia and Herentals Queens FC of Zimbabwe.
COSAFA Media indicates that all games will be streamed live on CAF TV, FIFA+ and COSAFA’s YouTube channel as well as on social media via X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
COSAFA Media reports that Costa do Sol are seasoned campaigners who finished third in 2023 and returned to the semi-finals in 2025, where they were beaten by eventual champions Gaborone United.
Silver Strikers arrive with momentum after winning the inaugural National Bank of Malawi (NBM) Women’s Premiership, having claimed 16 victories from 18 matches.
Their attacking threat includes Deborah Henry, who scored 23 league goals in 18 appearances and was named both NBM Women’s Premiership Player of the Season and Malawi Women’s Player of the Year.
Five Silver Ladies who were part of the Scorchers WAfCON squad that flew straight to Gaborone
Friday’s second game provides another intriguing clash as two-time regional champions Mamelodi Sundowns face eSwatini debutantes Nsingizini Hotspurs at 15h00.
Sundowns won the COSAFA title in 2021 and 2023 and are also two-time CAF Women’s Champions League winners.
Their defeat to ZESCO in last year’s semi-finals remains their only loss in ordinary time in the history of the regional qualifier, underlining their formidable record in the competition.
Nsingizini will have nothing to lose on debut after ending Young Buffaloes’ long dominance of the eSwatini Women Football League.
Their title success earned them a first appearance at the regional qualifier and the immediate challenge of testing themselves against one of African women’s club football’s established heavyweights.
For Group A tomorrow, last season’s runners-up ZESCO Ndola Girls of Zambia face Zimbabwe’s Herentals Queens.
ZESCO were one of the revelations of the 2025 tournament, reaching the final on debut after famously defeating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 in the semi-finals.
They eventually lost 4-3 on penalties to Gaborone United following a 1-1 draw in the decider. They travel to Botswana as back-to-back Zambia Women’s Super League champions and with unfinished business after coming so close to the trophy last year.
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Herentals Queens are appearing for a third successive year and have already shown they can compete with the region’s best.
They reached the semi-finals on debut in 2024 and narrowly missed out on the last four in 2025, making their opening meeting with ZESCO a potentially crucial contest in a highly competitive pool.
Hosts and defending champions Gaborone United will then begin their title defence against Lesotho Defence Force.
United have reached the final in both of their previous appearances, losing a marathon penalty shoot-out to University of the Western Cape in 2024 before going one better last year.
Their 2025 triumph included a record 10-1 victory over Kick4Life and a dramatic shoot-out success against ZESCO in the final.
Lesotho Defence Force return for their third appearance and first since 2023. They will be seeking to make history of their own by advancing beyond the group stages for the first time.
The competition will be staged for the sixth time, with Botswana becoming the third country to host the regional qualifier after South Africa and Malawi.
The first five editions have featured 19 clubs from 10 countries, illustrating the continued growth of elite women’s club football across the region.
All matches will be played at GU Stadium, with the top two teams in each of the two groups advancing to the semi-finals.
The eventual champions will be COSAFA’s sole qualifier for the CAF Women’s Champions League continental finals later this year.
The 2025 qualifier produced a competition-record 63 goals in 15 matches and another action-packed tournament is anticipated as established champions, emerging forces and ambitious debutants converge on Gaborone.—Reporting by COSAFA Media; editing by Duncan Mlanjira; Maravi Express
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