COSAFA eyes to increase number of teams qualifying for FIFA World Cup and AFCON

* Brings together high profile coaches and former COSAFA legendary players to a technical study group symposium aimed at finding a winning solution

* Last time a COSAFA team qualified to the FIFA World Cup was in 2006 and 2010 through Angola and South Africa respectively

* Furthermore, COSAFA has won the Africa Cup of Nations twice through South Africa and Zambia in 1996 and 2012 respectively

* Malawi represented through Flames coach Mabedi, Scorchers mentor Lovemore Fazili, FAM technical director and general Secretary Gunda

By Duncan Mlanjira

Council of Confederation of Southern Africa Football Association (COSAFA) organised its first technical study group symposium (TSG) held on May 23-24 that was aimed at turning around performance of its members with the view of increasing the number of teams that qualify to the FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) by taking advantage of the expanded number of teams that will participate at these two prestigious tournaments.

On his post on LinkedIn page, former Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president, Walter Nyamilandu Manda — who is chairperson of the COSAFA technical & development committee — said the regional grouping took note that the last time a COSAFA team qualified to the FIFA World Cup was in 2006 and 2010 through Angola and South Africa respectively.

“Furthermore, COSAFA has won the Africa Cup of Nations twice through South Africa and Zambia in 1996 and 2012 respectively,” he said. “It is high time that we reversed this negative trajectory by supporting our members with the right programs and tools to achieve the much needed growth and excellence within the region. 

“This initiative was marked by launching the first technical symposium of its kind — titled ‘Bridging the Gap of Technical Excellence’ in Johannesburg. A team of experts and captains of the industry were assembled to find a winning solution under the direction of the Technical Study Group of COSAFA.”

Malawi was represented at the symposium.through Flames coach Patrick Mabedi, FAM technical director Benjamin Nyirenda FAM general secretary Alfred Gunda and coach Lovemore Fazili — who led Malawi Scorchers to the COSAFA Women’s Championship 2023.

CAFonline other coaches who headlined the panel of seasoned coaches and football experts from the COSAFA region included CAF Women’s Football Coach of the Year, Desiree Ellis, former Egypt national team assistant coach, Roger de Sa, Namibia’s head coach Collin Benjamin as well as Shilene Booysen — current head coach of Egyptian women’s Premier League club, Wadi Degla.

The TSG symposium also attracted some former COSAFA legends such as Bafana Bafana’s Shaun Bartlett, Mark Fish and Reneilwe Letsholonyane as well as Banyana Banyana’s number one goalkeeper, Kaylin Swart, who offered some insights on the current state of the women’s game as a currently active player.

CAFonline reports that the first-ever TSG held by the CAF Zonal Union saw a gathering of “a brain’s trust of established football coaches and experts in the form of coaches, analysts, technical directors and former players from different parts of the region for a two-day workshop”.

“The purpose of the workshop was for COSAFA to further develop the standard of football in the region through the analyses and assessing of global football trends in order for Member Associations to be kept abreast with the ever-evolving nature of the game and for teams from the region to be more competitive at CAF continental competitions.”

CAFonline quotes Nyamilandu as saying: “We continue to strive to further on our mandate to provide world class development initiatives in the Southern African region and this TSG symposium is another huge step forward for COSAFA.

“The TSGs at our tournaments are vital for our region to keep up with the latest football trends and help our teams be more competitive on a continental and global level.

“We are delighted to have had such a distinguished group of speakers and panellists that provided expert knowledge and their vast experience of many decades in the game,” he is quoted as saying.

The hosting of such events, according to CAFonline, “forms the crucial building blocks for the growth of the game across Africa, as CAF continues working together with all its Zones, Member Associations and African governments in further growing and developing African football”.

Quoting a statement from COSAFA, Fam.mw reported that the TSG forms part of the COSAFA delegations in each and every football tournament and responsible for analysing the football on display in terms of the team systems, formations, style of play and the individual performance of players.

They select player of the matches, best team and coach of the tournament and competition individual awards, among other duties.

The panel discussions are presented by top experts in Sports Psychology Sports Science & Performance Analysis.

“We continue to strive to further our mandate to provide world class development initiatives in the Southern African region and this TSG symposium is another huge step forward for COSAFA.

“We pride ourselves on hosting world class tournaments from the Under-15 age-group up to the senior national teams, and we always try to take forward the learnings from these to improve on and off the pitch in the future.

“The TSGs at our tournaments are vital for our region to keep up with the latest football trends and help our teams be more competitive on a continental and global level.

“We are delighted to have such a distinguished group of speakers and panelists that will provide expert knowledge and their vast experience of many decades in the game,” reads part of the COSAFA statement.

Interestingly, Flames’ coach Mabedi and his counterpart for Namibia Benjamin are drawn together in Group H of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers alongside Tunisia, São Tomé e Príncipe and Liberia.

After first qualifying matches in November, the Flames are on 3rd position but tying on three points with Benjamin’s Namibia as Mabedi’s side beat Liberia 1-0 away in Monrovia before losing by same margin against Tunisia at home while Namibia were beaten 1-0 by Equatorial Guinea before beating São Tomé 2-0.

Equatorial Guinea and Tunisia tie on six points after registering two wins in Match Day 1 & 2 in November but Tunisia are at the top having a goal difference of 5 against Equatorial Guinea’s two.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers continue with the Flames up against São Tomé e Príncipe at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe on June 6 before facing Equatorial Guinea away in Malabo four days later.

The next qualifying matches will be in 2025 (March, September, October and November). The 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup tournament is through a complex qualification as the final — to be hosted jointly by the United States of America, Mexico and Canada — will have 48 participating countries instead of the conventional 32 giving an advantage for Africa to field more teams.

The top team from each group after Match Day 10 shall earn an automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup finals and additionally, the four best second-placed teams from all nine groups will engage in a continental playoff, determining a single victor who will then proceed to a second and final playoff. 

This final stage will comprise six teams from various confederations, with the top two emerging as qualified participants, ultimately making up the 48 competing teams.