COSAFA Cup: Morocco avoid giants; Bafana Bafana to face Zimbabwe

The Draw: Photo Credit: COSAFA.

Guests Morocco’s Atlas Lions avoided fellow giants in the draw for the 2025 Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup held on Wednesday, May 21, 2025.

The debutantes from North Africa were thrown in Group C comprising minnows Madagascar and Eswatini, opponents that have never won the championship.

However, hosts South Africa’s Bafana Bafana were drawn alongside fellow Southern African heavyweights Zimbabwe in Group A, with Mozambique and Mauritius being the other competitors. The Warriors are six-time winners.

Holders Angola lead Group B, which consists of Namibia, Malawi, and Lesotho, while record seven-time winners Zambia take on Comoros and Botswana in Pool D.

The draw took place in Mangaung, Bloemfontein, which will host the tournament from 5 to 14 June 2025. The 14 teams were split into four groups, A and B comprising four teams each, and the rest, three. The winner of each group will proceed to the semi-finals.

The competition will retain last year’s format with teams facing off in group stages before going into knockouts.