COSAFA Women’s Championship: Copper Queens held by Zimbabwe; Eswatini and Botswana share spoils

Zimbabwe showed their defensive solidity to hold Zambia’s Copper Queens to a goalless draw in South Africa on Sunday at the COSAFA Women’s Championship.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by COSAFA (@cosafafootball)

The defending champions might be without well-known stars such as Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji at the regional tournament. Nonetheless, they still paraded an array of stars such as goalkeeper Hazel Nali and defender Margaret Belemu on Sunday.

Zimbabwe, who are coming from the off-season break, featured Cynthia Shonga between the sticks while Regina Chanda led the frontline.

The Copper Queens threw everything at the Mighty Warriors, dominating with four efforts versus one on target and nine corner kicks against one for the rivals, but Seshego Stadium could still not witness a goal.

How Zimbabwe held the Copper Queens

That goalkeeper Shonga of Herentals College FC was named player of the match says a lot of how the Mighty Warriors played their defensive cards right.

The share of the points leaves Group B unchanged: Zambia still lead the standings with four points at par with the second-placed Zimbabwe. Eswatini occupy third place and Botswana bottom, each with one point.

The Mares will gun for their first maximum points when they face Zimbabwe on Tuesday, February 24 at Seshego Stadium. The other game for the group will see Eswatini taking on Zambia at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium also on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Eswatini and Botswana picked their first point of the 2026 COSAFA Women’s Championship after a one-all draw in South Africa on Sunday.

Striker Nolofatso Mamela scored for the Mares and Nonjabuliso Mokgale replied for the Sitsebe SaMhlekazi, both in the first half of the Group B match played at Seshego Stadium.

Mamela fired Botswana ahead after 22^nd minute with an absolute stunner. She received a quickly taken thrown-in on the left and curled in a shot, which dipped at the far post into Eswatini’s net.

How Mamela fired Botswana ahead

From a distance, it appeared that forward Mamela was whipping in a cross only for that to become a goal.

Some Eswatini were not to give up as Mokgale scored the equaliser for Eswatini. The striker intercepted the ball on the left, sold a dummy past her marker before sweeping her effort past on rushing Botswana keeper Gosego Mokola in the 37^th minute.

The result keeps both teams’ slim last-four prospect alive—at least as of Sunday afternoon.

The result hardly changed Group B standings with Sitsebe SaMhlekazi and the Mares occupying third and fourth places.

What next now for Eswatini and Botswana?

The Mares will gun for their first maximum points when they face Zimbabwe on Tuesday, February 24 at Seshego Stadium. The other game for the group will see Eswatini taking on Zambia at Old Peter Mokaba Stadium.

The outcome of the group’s other meeting between holders Zambia and Zimbabwe would have a big say on the journey of Eswatini and Botswana at the regional tournament.

The rivals faced off each with three points meaning that only a draw would keep Eswatini and Botswana’s slip semifinal prospects alive.