The Girls tournament is a shoot-out for the regional crown only, but that comes with considerable gravitas.
There are five teams that have entered the COSAFA U17 Girls Championship, with the competition played in a round-robin format, which does not necessitate a draw.
The teams to compete are Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, South Africa, and Zambia.
The Girls’ event last year was won by Zambia as they beat Botswana 4-0 in the decider.
That was the first time a COSAFA nation had lifted the Girls trophy with both previous official COSAFA Girl’s Under-17 Championships having been won by guest nations – Uganda in 2019 and Tanzania in 2020.
COSAFA has put a big focus on youth development in recent years and has been lauded by FIFA and CAF for their work in women’s football in particular.
These two tournaments will be another giant step forward in providing youngsters in the region with the opportunity for an introduction to international football, and perhaps the start of stellar careers for the nations across all age groups.
It also follows hot on the heels of the recent CAF African Schools Football Championship | COSAFA Qualifier that was also held in Lilongwe and ended on Monday.
(CREDIT: Cosafa Website)
