CAFWCL Qualifying: Sundowns Ladies, Gaborone United in tricky draw

Former champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies and Gaborone United Ladies have been drawn in separate tricky groups for Southern Africa’s CAF Women’s Champions League (CAFWCL) qualifiers in the COSAFA region.

Sundowns will face Malawi champions Ntopwa Ladies, Zesco Ndola Girls of Zambia and Namibia’s Beauties FC in Group A later this month in South Africa.

While Ndola and Beauties are debutants in the competition, the two-time champions Sundowns can expect solid opposition from Ntopwa who will make their second appearance in the qualifiers.

The draw saw the rest of the teams put in three-member groups. Last year’s finalists Gaborone United from Botswana lead Group B comprising Eswatini’s Young Buffaloes and Kick4Life of Lesotho.

Zimbabwe’s Herentals Queens are the notable Group C members sharing company with Mozambique’s CD Costa do Sol and Olympic de Moroni from Comoros.

According to the competition’s playing format, the overall leader of each group will proceed to the semifinals alongside with the best runners up.

For Group A, the results against the team that finishes bottom of the pool will be disregarded for that calculation, COSAFA says.

Sundowns hope to add a third badge after winning the continental silverware in 2021 and 2023.

University of the Western Cape are the defending champions of the COSAFA qualifiers which Malawi hosted last year when Sundowns were absent after being exempted by virtue of being continental title holders.

The Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA)’s secretariat conducted the draw in South Africa on Tuesday ahead of the qualifiers scheduled from 22 to 31 August 2025.

Full draw:

GROUP A: Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), Ntopwa FC (Malawi), Beauties FC (Namibia), Zesco Ndola Girls (Zambia)

GROUP B: Gaborone United Ladies FC (Botswana), Young Buffaloes (Eswatini), Kick4Life (Lesotho)

GROUP C: Herentals Queens (Zimbabwe), CD Costa do Sol (Mozambique), Olympic de Moroni (Comoros)