2025 COSAFA Cup

Last updated

COSAFA Cup 2025
2025 COSAFA Cup Logo.png
Tournament details
Host countrySouth Africa
City Bloemfontein
Dates4 – 15 June
Teams14 (from 2 sub-confederations)
Venue(s)2 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
ChampionsFlag of Angola.svg  Angola (5th title)
Runners-upFlag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Third placeFlag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros
Fourth placeFlag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar
Tournament statistics
Matches played22
Goals scored44 (2 per match)
Top scorer(s) Flag of Angola.svg Depú
(8 goals)
Best player(s) Flag of Angola.svg Depú
Best goalkeeper Flag of Angola.svg Neblú
Fair play awardFlag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
2024
2026

The 2025 COSAFA Cup, officially known as the 2025 Hollywoodbets COSAFA Cup (for sponsorship purposes), was the 24th edition of the COSAFA Cup, the annual international football championship organised by COSAFA for the senior men's national teams of their member associations. South Africa hosted the tournament for the eighth consecutive year, from 4 to 15 June 2025. The tournament involved 14 teams.

Contents

Angola were the defending champions, having secured their fourth title in the previous edition. [1]

Participation

All 14 COSAFA member nations are eligible to participate in the competition, with members from other regional confederations also eligible to join by invitation, either to complete the number of participating teams or to replace any that withdrew.

Participating teams

In May 2025, it was announced that 13 of the 14 COSAFA member nations would take part in the tournament, [2] with Morocco from UNAF completing the lineup in place of Seychelles, who did not return for this edition. [3] On 29 May, Morocco withdrew from the competition and were replaced by Tanzania from CECAFA. [4] [5] Of the 14 participating nations, Madagascar and Mauritius returned to the competition after missing the previous two and one editions, respectively. [6]

TeamTypeAppPrevious best performance WR [a]
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola A20thChampions (1999, 2001, 2004, 2024)87
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana A24thRunners-up (2016, 2019)136
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros A'8thFourth place (2024)105
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini A24thThird place (2016, 2021), Semi-finals (1999, 2002, 2003)155
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho A24thRunners-up (2000, 2023)148
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar A'13thThird place (2015)115
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi A'23rdRunners-up (2002, 2003)132
Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius A19thQuarter-finals (2001, 2004)178
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique U2324thThird place (1997, 2009, 2024)96
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia A24thChampions (2015)108
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa A'23rdChampions (2002, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2021)56
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania A'4thThird place (2017)105
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia A'24thChampions (1997, 1998, 2006, 2013, 2019, 2022, 2023)88
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe U2322ndChampions (2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2017, 2018)116
  1. As of the latest FIFA World Ranking, published on 3 April 2025. [7]
Key
A: First team
A': Local team
U23 Under-23 team (Olympic team)

Squads

Each team may name a preliminary squad of up to 30 players, which must be reduced to a final list of 23 for the tournament. [8]

Venues

The following two stadiums in the province of Free State were selected to host matches during the tournament, with one of them having previously served as a venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. [9]

Bloemfontein
Free State Stadium Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium
Capacity: 42,000Capacity: 22,000
Free State Stadium1.jpg No image available.svg

Final draw

The final tournament draw took place on 21 May 2025, 11:00 SAST (UTC+2). [10] Four teams; the hosts, the defending champions, and the two highest-ranked sides according to the April 2025 FIFA Rankings, were automatically seeded in position 1 of Groups A to D. The remaining ten teams were divided into two pots based on their FIFA Rankings, with four teams placed in Pot 1 and six in Pot 2.

Seeding

Seeding Pot 1
TeamRank
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 96
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros 105
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 108
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 115
Seeding Pot 2
TeamRank
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 116
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 132
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 136
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho 148
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini 155
Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius 178

Draw

Group A
PosTeam
A1Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
A2Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique
A3Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
A4Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
Group B
PosTeam
B1Flag of Angola.svg  Angola
B2Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia
B3Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
B4Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho
Group C
PosTeam
C1Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco [a]
C2Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar
C3Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini
Group D
PosTeam
D1Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
D2Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros
D3Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana
  1. At the time of the draw, Morocco was still listed as a participant, the position was later taken by Tanzania

Match officials

Referees
Assistant Referees
Video assistant referees

Group stage

Tiebreakers

Teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss).

If two teams were tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings: [8]

  1. Points in head-to-head matches match between the two tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in all group matches;
  3. Goals scored in all group matches;
  4. Drawing of lots.

If more than two teams were tied, the following criteria were applied instead:

  1. Points in matches between the tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in matches between the tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in matches between the tied teams;
  4. If after applying all criteria above, two teams were still tied, the above criteria were again applied to matches played between the two teams in question. If this did not resolve the tie, the next three criteria were applied;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Drawing of lots.

Group A

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa (H)311121+14Advance to knockout stage
2Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe 31113304
3Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 31112314
4Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius 30300003
Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
South Africa  Flag of South Africa.svg0–1Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique
Report Sumbane Soccerball shade.svg73'
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Arnaud Zafimahatoha (Madagascar)
Mauritius  Flag of Mauritius.svg0–0Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
Report
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)

Mozambique  Flag of Mozambique.svg0–0Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Report
Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Mweshitsama Naftal (Namibia)
South Africa  Flag of South Africa.svg2–0Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
Report
Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Thabang Ketshabile (Botswana)

Mozambique  Flag of Mozambique.svg1–3Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
Report
Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)
South Africa  Flag of South Africa.svg0–0Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Report
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Celso Alvação (Mozambique)

Group B

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 321061+57Advance to knockout stage
2Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia 312041+35
3Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho 31021763
4Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 30120221
Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Malawi  Flag of Malawi.svg0–1Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho
Report Ntaitsane Soccerball shade.svg87'
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Patrice Milazar (Mauritius)
Angola  Flag of Angola.svg1–1Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia
Depú Soccerball shade.svg90' (pen.) Report Kamberipa Soccerball shade.svg90+7'
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Hillary Hambaba (Zambia)

Angola  Flag of Angola.svg4–0Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho
Report
Namibia  Flag of Namibia.svg0–0Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Report
Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Hillary Hambaba (Zambia)

Namibia  Flag of Namibia.svg3–0Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho
Report
Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Thabang Ketshabile (Botswana)
Malawi  Flag of Malawi.svg0–1Flag of Angola.svg  Angola
Report Randy Nteka Soccerball shade.svg48'
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Hillary Hambaba (Zambia)

Group C

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 211021+14Advance to knockout stage
2Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania 21012203
3Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini 20112311
Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Tanzania  Flag of Tanzania.svg0–1Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar
Report Rakotondraibe Soccerball shade.svg29'
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Celso Alvação (Mozambique)

Madagascar  Flag of Madagascar.svg1–1Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini
Rafanomezantsoa Soccerball shade.svg41' Report Magagula Soccerball shade.svg62'
Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Godfrey Nkhakananga (Malawi)

Eswatini  Flag of Eswatini.svg1–2Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania
Magagula Soccerball shade.svg29' Report
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Arnaud Zafimahatoha (Madagascar)

Group D

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros 211010+14Advance to knockout stage
2Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana 20203302
3Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia 20113411
Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Zambia  Flag of Zambia.svg0–1Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros
Report Madi Soccerball shade.svg31'
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Brighton Chimene (Zimbabwe)

Comoros  Flag of the Comoros.svg0–0Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana
Report
Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Arnaud Zafimahatoha (Madagascar)

Botswana  Flag of Botswana.svg3–3Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
Report

Knockout stage

Bracket

 
Semi-Finals Final
 
      
 
13 June–Bloemfontein
 
 
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 4
 
15 June–Bloemfontein
 
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 1
 
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 3
 
13 June–Bloemfontein
 
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 0
 
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 3
 
 
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros 1
 
Third-Place
 
 
15 June–Bloemfontein
 
 
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 0
 
 
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros 1

Semi-finals

Angola  Flag of Angola.svg4–1Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar
Report
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Celso Alvação (Mozambique)

South Africa  Flag of South Africa.svg3–1Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros
Report
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Hillary Hambaba (Zambia)

Third-place

Madagascar  Flag of Madagascar.svg0–1Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros
Report Ibroihim Soccerball shade.svg77'

Final

Angola  Flag of Angola.svg3–0Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Report
Free State Stadium , Bloemfontein
Referee: Brighton Chimene (Zimbabwe)

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 44 goals scored in 22 matches, for an average of 2 goals per match.

8 goals

2 goals

1 goal

1 own goal

Discipline

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

Players suspended during the tournament—sortable
PlayerOffence(s)Suspension(s)
Flag of Angola.svg Randy Nteka Red card.svg in Group B vs Namibia (matchday 1, 5 June 2025) Group B vs Lesotho (matchday 2; 8 June 2025)
Flag of Mauritius.svg Pascal Colin Yellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svg in Group A vs Mozambique (matchday 2, 7 June 2025) Group A vs South Africa (matchday 3; 10 June 2025)
Flag of Lesotho.svg Lehlohonolo Matsau Yellow card.svg in Group B vs Malawi (matchday 1, 5 June 2025)
Yellow card.svg in Group B vs Angola (matchday 2, 8 June 2025)
Group B vs Namibia (matchday 3; 10 June 2025)
Flag of the Comoros.svg Naimoudine Assane Yellow card.svg Yellow-red card.svg in Semi-finals vs South Africa (13 June 2025) Third-place match vs Madagascar (15 June 2025)

References

  1. "Angola begin their COSAFA Cup title defense in Group B." angop.ao (in Portuguese). Luanda. 21 May 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  2. "COSAFA Cup 2025: The perfect tune-up for TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 contenders". cafonline.com. Confederation of African Football. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  3. Chama, Lucky (15 May 2025). "Morocco to Compete in 2025 COSAFA Championship, Draw Date Confirmed". bolanews.co. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  4. Mabuka, Dennis (30 May 2025). "Tanzania replaces Morocco in COSAFA Cup 2025". africatopsports.com. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  5. Kanjere, Peter (29 May 2025). "Morocco withdraws from COSAFA Cup, Tanzania invited". panafricafootball.com. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  6. "The Barea A' will play in the 2025 COSAFA Cup". fmf.mg (in French). Malagasy Football Federation. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  7. "FIFA World Ranking". fifa.com. FIFA. 3 April 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Regulations for the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Cup 2025". cosafa.com. 27 May 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  9. Palesa Manaleng (22 May 2025). "COSAFA Cup to be staged at 2010 FIFA World Cup stadium in Free State". ewn.co.za. Johannesburg: Eyewitness News. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  10. "COSAFA Cup draw set for May 21". zambianfootball.co.zm. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.