* It’s a fair draw looking at the teams we have been drawn against—head coach Linda Kasenda while expressing confidence in her team’s ability to advance beyond the group stages
* Last year, we failed to progress from the group stage, but this time around we target to finish top of our group so that we progress to the semi-finals
Maravi Express
Malawi U-17 girls national football team has been placed in Group A alongside hosts Namibia and Comoros for the Council for Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) U17 Girls’ Championship 2025, set to take place from May 10-17 in Windhoek.
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A statement from Football Association of Malawi posted on Fam.mw says head coach Linda Kasenda remains optimistic, expressing confidence in her team’s ability to advance beyond the group stages.
“It’s a fair draw looking at the teams we have been drawn against,” she is quoted as saying by Fam.mw.
“Last year, we failed to progress from the group stage, but this time around we target to finish top of our group so that we progress to the semi-finals.”
Malawi made their debut in the 2022 edition of the championship, finishing third on home soil in Lilongwe.
It is the first time the tournament will be hosted in Namibia, which is also set to stage the Region 5 Games in July.
Namibia debuted in the COSAFA U17 Girls Championship 2021 and returned in 2022 and 2024 — but they have gone out in the group stages on all three occasions.
Comoros are appearing at a fifth COSAFA U17 Girls Championship and are waiting for their first win at the tournament.
Group B contains defending champions Zambia, Mozambique and Mauritius. The Zambiasn defeated Lesotho 15-0 in the final last year and are the only team to lift the trophy twice, having also done so in 2021.
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Mozambique made their debut in the 2024 edition where they lost in the semifinals in Lesotho after winning all three of their group games.
Mauritius hosted the first COSAFA U17 Girls Championship in 2019, where they exited in the group stages. They made their second appearance in 2024.
Group C contains Botswana Zimbabwe and Lesotho, who lost in last year’s final while making their debut — while Botswana were runners-up in 2021 after losing to Zambia in the final. They also finished fourth in 2019 and 2022.
Zimbabwe’s best finish was fourth place on debut in 2020. They also appeared last year but exited in the group stages.—Content by Fam.mw & COSAFA website; edited by Maravi Express
