2023 COSAFA Women's Championship

Last updated

2023 COSAFA Women's Championship
2023 COSAFA Women's Championship logo.png
Tournament details
Host countryFlag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Dates4–15 October
Teams12 (from 1 sub-confederation)
Venue(s)3 (in 2 host cities)
Final positions
ChampionsFlag of Malawi.svg  Malawi (1st title)
Runners-upFlag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
Third placeFlag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique
Fourth placeFlag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
Tournament statistics
Matches played22
Goals scored70 (3.18 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Malawi.svg Temwa Chawinga
(9 goals)
Best player(s) Flag of Malawi.svg Temwa Chawinga
Best goalkeeper Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Cynthia Shonga
Fair play awardFlag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
2022
2024

The 2023 COSAFA Women's Championship was the eleventh edition of the COSAFA Women's Championship, also known as the 2023 Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women's Championship for sponsorship purposes, the annual international women's association football championship contested by women's national teams of Southern Africa and organised by COSAFA. The tournament took place from 4 to 15 October 2023 in South Africa. [1] [2] The opening match was won by Eswatini, beating Madagascar at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria on 4 October 2023 and achieving their first COSAFA Women's Championship victory since 2020. [3]

Contents

Malawi were crowned 2023 champions [4] after defeating reigning champions Zambia's Copper Queens 2–1 in the final. It was the first time Malawi had won a COSAFA Women's tournament, securing their first major title. [5] Mozambique claimed their first medal at the COSAFA Women's Championship. [6] Malawian player Temwa Chawinga achieved a remarkable double, clinching the Golden Boot with nine goals during the tournament and also claiming the Golden Ball award. [7] Zimbabwe goalkeeper Cynthia Shongwe won the Golden Glove, awarded to the best-performing goalkeeper of the tournament.

Of the twelve teams taking part, Zimbabwe and Madagascar returned to the competition after missing last year's edition. [8] 2011 Champions Zimbabwe advanced to the semi-finals for the first time since 2019. Host and seven times champion South Africa were eliminated in the group stage after they failed to beat Malawi, the first time the team had not made the semi-finals at the tournament. [9]

Format

In September 2023, during the draw ceremony, the competition format was revealed. The tournament commences with a group stage comprising three groups, each consisting of four teams. The group winners, along with the highest-ranked second-placed team, advance to the knockout stage. The winners of each semifinal proceed to the final, while the losing teams face off in a third-place match to determine the bronze medalist.

Venues

COSAFA has selected three venues within the province of Gauteng, two cities were selected Pretoria and Johannesburg, one stadium in Pretoria and two stadiums in Johannesburg.

Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria will host the opening match between South Africa and Malawi. The same stadium will host the third-place match and the final on 15 October.

Pretoria Johannesburg
Lucas Moripe Stadium Dobsonville Stadium UJ Stadium
Capacity: 28,900Capacity: 24,000Capacity: 8,000
Spectators watching Brazil national football team train at Dobsonville Stadium 2010-06-03 3.jpg

Teams

Participation

Twelve member associations of COSAFA have confirmed their participation in this year's edition. Out of the 12 taking part in this year's edition, 10 countries competed at the previous tournament in 2022. Zimbabwe made a comeback after being absent from last year's edition. while Madagascar whose team had been inactive since 2019, is returning to the international stage. [10]

Note: All appearance statistics exclude the 2008 edition.

TeamAppLast
appearance
Previous best performance
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola [11] 6th 2022 Group stage (2006, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana [12] 9th 2022 Runners-up (2020)
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros [13] 4th 2022 Group stage (2019, 2020, 2022)
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini [14] 9th 2022 Group stage (2002, 2006, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho [15] 8th 2022 Group stage (2002, 2006, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022)
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar [16] 4th 2019 Group stage (2017, 2018, 2019)
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi [17] 10th 2022 Runners-up (2021)
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique [18] 9th 2022 Fourth place (2002)
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia [19] 7th 2022 Runners-up (2006)
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa [20] 10th 2022 Champions (2002, 2006, 2017, 2018 , 2019 , 2020 )
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia [21] 10th 2022 Champions (2022)
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe [22] 9th 2021 Champions ( 2011 )
Did not enter

Squads

Draw

The final draw took place at the COSAFA Headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 14 September 2023 at 11:00 SAST (UTC+2). [23]

In this edition, three teams were seeded based on their performance in the 2022 COSAFA Women's Championship: Zambia (the 2022 Champions, assigned to B1), South Africa (the 2022 Runners-up, assigned to A1), and Namibia (the 2022 Fourth-place team, assigned to C1). Additionally, two pots were formed for the draw. Pot 1 included the next highest-ranked teams, namely Botswana, Malawi, and Mozambique, while Pot 2 comprised the six remaining lowest-ranked teams, which are Angola, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe.

Pot 1Pot 2
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe

Officials

COSAFA's appointed referees and assistant referees have not yet been announced. For the first time in the tournament history Video assistant referees (VAR) will be used from the semi-finals onwards. [24]

Referees
Assistant Referees
Video assistant referees

Group stage

All times are local, SAST (UTC+2).

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 3300154+119Qualified for knockout stage
2Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa (H)320195+46
3Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini 3102212103
4Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 30033850
Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots
(H) Hosts
Madagascar  Flag of Madagascar.svg1–2Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini
Report
Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria
Referee: Maria Rivet (Mauritius)
South Africa  Flag of South Africa.svg3–4Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Report
Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria
Referee: Antsino Twanyanyukwa (Namibia)

Malawi  Flag of Malawi.svg8–0Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini
Report
Dobsonville Stadium, Johannesburg
Referee: Grace Gimo (Zimbabwe)
South Africa  Flag of South Africa.svg3–1Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar
Report
Dobsonville Stadium, Johannesburg
Referee: Vistoria Shangula (Namibia)

Madagascar  Flag of Madagascar.svg1–3Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Report
UJ Stadium, Johannesburg
Referee: Antsino Twanyanyukwa (Namibia)
South Africa  Flag of South Africa.svg3–0Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini
Report
Dobsonville Stadium, Johannesburg
Referee: Rosalie Rosalie (Madagascar)

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 321082+67Qualified for knockout stage
2Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 321041+37
3Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 310264+23
4Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros 3003213110
Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots
Zambia  Flag of Zambia.svg0–0Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique
Report
Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria
Referee: Eness Gumbo (Malawi)

Zambia  Flag of Zambia.svg3–1Flag of Angola.svg  Angola
Report
Dobsonville Stadium, Johannesburg
Referee: Nteboheleng Setoko (Lesotho)
Mozambique  Flag of Mozambique.svg3–1Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros
Report
Dobsonville Stadium, Johannesburg
Referee: Rosalie Rosalie (Madagascar)

Zambia  Flag of Zambia.svg5–1Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros
Report
UJ Stadium, Johannesburg
Referee: Rosa Hanjavola (Madagascar)
Angola  Flag of Angola.svg0–1Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique
Report
Dobsonville Stadium, Johannesburg
Referee: Nteboheleng Setoko (Lesotho)

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 321041+37Qualified for knockout stage
2Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 312052+35
3Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 31113304
4Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho 30030660
Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots
Zimbabwe  Flag of Zimbabwe.svg1–0Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho
Report
Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria
Referee: Seonyatseng Tshephe (Botswana)
Namibia  Flag of Namibia.svg1–1Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana
Report
Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria
Referee: Gloria Sambumba (Zambia)

Namibia  Flag of Namibia.svg0–2Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
Report
Dobsonville Stadium, Johannesburg
Referee: Letticia Viana (Eswatini)

Namibia  Flag of Namibia.svg2–0Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho
Report
UJ Stadium, Johannesburg
Referee: Maria Rivet (Mauritius)

Ranking of runner-up teams

PosGrpTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 B Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 321041+37Advance to knockout stage
2 A Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 320195+46
3 C Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 312052+35
Source: COSAFA

Knockout stage

Bracket

 
Semi-finals Final
 
      
 
13 October – Pretoria
 
 
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 1
 
15 October – Pretoria
 
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 0
 
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 1
 
13 October – Pretoria
 
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 2
 
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 2
 
 
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 1
 
Third Place match
 
 
15 October – Pretoria
 
 
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 0
 
 
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 2

Semi-finals

Zambia  Flag of Zambia.svg1–0Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
Report
Malawi  Flag of Malawi.svg2–1Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique
Report

Third-place match

Zimbabwe  Flag of Zimbabwe.svg0–2Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique
Report
Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria
Referee: Maria Rivet (Mauritius)

Final

Zambia  Flag of Zambia.svg1–2Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Report
Lucas Moripe Stadium, Pretoria
Referee: Antsino Twanyanyukwa (Namibia)

Award

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament: the Golden Boot (top scorer), Golden Ball (best overall player) and Golden Glove (best goalkeeper) [27]

Golden Boot
Flag of Malawi.svg Temwa Chawinga
9 goals
Golden Ball
Flag of Malawi.svg Temwa Chawinga
Golden Glove
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Cynthia Shongwe
COSAFA Fair Play Trophy
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia

Statistics

Goal scorers

There were 70 goals scored in 22 matches, for an average of 3.18 goals per match.

9 goals

5 goals

4 goals

3 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Discipline

A player was automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:

The following suspensions were served during the tournament:

PlayerOffence(s)Suspension
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Vimbai Mharadzi Yellow card.svg in Group C vs Lesotho (matchday 1; 6 October)
Yellow card.svg in Group C vs Namibia (matchday 2; 9 October)
Group C vs Botswana (matchday 3; 12 October)

Final ranking

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsFinal result
1Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 5500196+1315Champions
2Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 5311104+610Runners-up
3Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 531173+410Third place
4Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 52124407Fourth place
5Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 320195+46Eliminated in
group stage
6Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 312052+35
7Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 31113304Eliminated in
group stage
8Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 310264+23
9Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini 3102212103
10Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 30033850Eliminated in
group stage
11Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho 30030660
12Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros 3003213110
Source: COSAFA

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  26. Assistant referee and Video assistant referee
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