Publications
Partners
Banyana Banyana have been placed in Group C of the 2017 Cosafa Women’s Championship scheduled for Bulawayo in Zimbabwe next month.
The tournament will take place from September 13 to 24.
Three-time winners Banyana will take on Lesotho, Namibia and Botswana.
The South African senior national women’s team open their account with a clash against Lesotho on September 14 at the 8 000-capacity Luveve Stadium, then play against Namibia the next day at the Barbourfields Stadium that seats about 32 000 people.
In the last group stage encounter, Banyana will entertain Botswana, also at Barbourfields.
Defending champions Zimbabwe will play the first match in front of the home supporters. They have been drawn alongside old rivals Zambia.
Madagascar and Malawi will join Zimbabwe and Zambia in Group A in what is sure to be a tightly-contested pool.
Kenya head up Group B, where they will face Mauritius, Mozambique and Swaziland in another pool that will be tough to predict.
The opening match will see Namibia take on Botswana (kick-off 10.30am), before two clashes in Group A as Zambia face Malawi (2pm) and Zimbabwe lock horns with Madagascar (4.30pm).
The teams play each other in a round-robin format, with the pool winners and best-placed runner-up advancing to the semifinals, which will be played on September 21.
The third-fourth place playoff will take place on September 23, while the final has been scheduled for September 24.
“We expanded the tournament to 12 teams from eight and we are looking forward to a good tournament,” said general-secretary Sue Destombes.
With 12 teams competing this year, it is the biggest ever field assembled for the Cosafa Women’s Championship and shows the tremendous growth in women’s football in the last decade.
