14 Aug 2026

Hosting the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA qualifier will provide Botswana with an opportunity to showcase its ability to host major regional football competitions while giving local supporters the chance to watch some of Southern Africa’s leading women clubs.

Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Botswana Football Association President, Tariq Babitseng said the tournament would be the sixth staging of the COSAFA qualifier, which was introduced in 2021 to determine the region’s representative at the CAF Women’s Champions League continental finals.

He said Botswana became the third country to host the competition, after South Africa staged four editions and Malawi hosting the 2024 tournament.

Babitseng has described the tournament as part BFA’s broader effort to strengthen women football and provide local players and clubs with opportunities to compete at a higher regional and continental level.

Meanwhile, defending champions, Gaborone United Ladies will face a familiar opponent in ZESCO Ndola Girls, as they begin their CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA qualifier title defence on home soil from August 20 to 29.

The host, GU ladies have been drawn in Group A alongside Zambia’s ZESCO Ndola Girls, Zimbabwean champions, Herentals Queens and Lesotho Defence Force, setting up a demanding campaign as they seek to retain the regional crown and secure another appearance at the continental finals.

Gaborone United will renew their rivalry with ZESCO Ndola Girls after edging the Zambian side on penalties in last year’s final to claim their first COSAFA title and qualify for the CAF Women’s Champions League for the first time.

All matches will be played at the Gaborone United fields, with fixtures scheduled for morning and afternoon sessions, according to Babitseng.

Group B will feature two time African champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies of South Africa, alongside Nsingizini Hotspurs of Eswatini, Costa do Sol of Mozambique and Malawi’s Silver Strikers. Sundowns enter the competition as one of the region’s strongest sides, having won the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021 and 2023. They have also featured in every edition of the COSAFA qualifier except 2024, when they were exempt as African champions.

The group stage will be followed by the knockout rounds, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals. 

The eventual winner will earn the right to represent COSAFA at the CAF Women’s Champions League continental finals later in the year.

For Gaborone United, the challenge will be to turn home advantage into another title while navigating a Group A that includes a side they know all too well and two other domestic champions.

The tournament kicks off on August 20 in Gaborone, with the final scheduled for August 29. ends