Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis has found out who they will face in this year’s COSAFA Women’s Championship after the regional tournament’s draw was conducted in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Ellis’ charges were drawn against Malawi, Madagascar and Eswatini in Group A on Thursday, 14 September 2023 and she said the tournament will give her a chance to look at other players as she continues to build the pool. The tournament will be hosted in Gauteng from October 4-15.
“This is another opportunity for us to bring in some players into the system. We have a big year – we play against the USA this month, and then two weeks after the COSAFA Women’s Championship we are back in camp. We play the Olympic qualifiers in October and towards the end of November, we have the WAFCON qualifiers, so it is a busy period,” she said.
“It is another opportunity for us to test players. It is another opportunity for us to make the core group bigger because we have used it (COSAFA Women’s Championship) over the years to test players.”
She said while the draw itself was reasonable, she expected Banyana Banyana to play tough matches against Malawi, Madagascar and Eswatini.
In Group B, defending champions Zambia face Mozambique, Angola and Comoros, while Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Lesotho will battle it out in Group C.
The sides that finish at the top will automatically qualifying for the semifinals, and they will be joined by the best runner-up team across the three pools.
Before they participate in the COSAFA Women’s Championship, Ellis’ charges will face the U.S. women’s national team in two international friendly matches to be played in Cincinnati and Chicago this month.
The former FIFA Women’s World Cup champions will host the South African senior women’s team in Cincinnati at TQL Stadium on 21 September 2023, and in Chicago at Soldier Field on 24 September 2023.
The team travels to the USA on Sunday 17 September 2023.
2023 COSAFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP DRAW
GROUP A
South Africa
Malawi
Madagascar
Eswatini
GROUP B
Zambia
Mozambique
Angola
Comoros
GROUP C
Namibia
Botswana
Zimbabwe
Lesotho
SOURCED FROM THE SAFA WEBSITE.
