COSAFA Cup gets new format

The COSAFA Cup, the annual flagship tournament organised by the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA), will undergo a significant format change, as announced by the governing body.

 In contrast to the previous system, where seeded teams joined at the quarter-final stage, all participating teams will now commence their journey from the group stage.

The official COSAFA website, closely monitored by the ZamFoot Crew, revealed the exciting developments. 

The 2023 COSAFA Cup is scheduled to take place in Durban, a vibrant coastal city in South Africa, from July 5 to July 16.

Under the new format, a total of 12 teams will compete, divided into three groups, each consisting of four sides. 

The group winners and the best runner-up will then progress to the semi-finals.

The host nation, South Africa, alongside last year’s champions, Zambia, and the runners-up from 2022, Namibia, will serve as the seeded teams in their respective groups. 

The draw for the group stages is set to occur immediately after COSAFA’s Annual General Meeting, which is slated to be held in Johannesburg on Friday, May 26.

From July 5 to July 12, the pool games will be contested, followed by the semi-finals on July 14. Finally, the highly anticipated final and the third-place play-off will be held at the King Zwelithini Stadium two days later.

Throughout the history of the COSAFA Cup, Zimbabwe and Zambia have both claimed six victories, while South Africa has secured five triumphs. Angola, with three wins, and Namibia, with one, are the only other teams to have tasted regional glory.

 Mozambique, Malawi, and Botswana have reached the finals on two occasions but fell short on both occasions.

 Lesotho accomplished the feat of reaching the decider in 2000, and Senegal became the first guest nation to achieve this milestone in 2021.