The 2019 COSAFA Women’s Championship will get under way in Nelson Mandela Bay in a little over two weeks’ time, where the 12 competing teams will battle it out for the coveted trophy.
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will be able to watch the games for FREE, with details on where to collect tickets to be released shortly
The tournament will get under way on July 31 when Zimbabwe tackle Angola at the Wolfson Stadium at 10h00, with three matches per day in the first round. That is until August 5, when Group A and C will conclude, and matches played simultaneously.
The semifinals will take place on August 8, with the third-place play-off set for two days later and the final to be contested on August 11.
South Africa will be the defending champions and coach Des Ellis says she expects all their first round opponents – Comoros Islands, Malawi and Madagascar – to try and make a statement by getting a win against the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup participants.
“The expectation is always there, being Banyana and the defending champions. People will want to knock you off your perch, especially having been to the World Cup. But we have to show what we learnt at the World Cup and why we qualified to be there,” she said.
“We want to give the fans a taste of what we learnt at the World Cup, otherwise that experience counts for nothing. “It won’t be easy, when you play the minnows they raise their game. No-one needs motivation to play a team that has come from the World Cup.”
Ellis also expects the crowds to turn out again to support the side, just as they did in last year’s tournament, when Banyana defeated Cameroon in the final.
“The fans were amazing last year, they gave us such great support and it makes a real difference to the players. It gives us such a lift. We hope to see them back again this year.”
Running concurrently with the senior women’s championship will be the inaugural 2019 COSAFA Women’s Under-20 Championship from August 1-11, also to be staged in Nelson Mandela Bay.
2019 COSAFA WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURE REMINDER
DATEKO GRP FIXTURE VENUE
31/07 10h00 C Zimbabwe vs Angola Wolfson Stadium
31/07 12h45 A Malawi vs Madagascar Wolfson Stadium
31/07 15h30 A South Africa vs Comoros Wolfson Stadium
01/08 10h00 C Mozambique vs Eswatini Wolfson Stadium
01/08 12h45 B Zambia vs Mauritius Wolfson Stadium
01/08 15h30 B Namibia vs Botswana Wolfson Stadium
02/08 10h00 A Comoros vs Madagascar Wolfson Stadium
02/08 12h45 C Zimbabwe vs Mozambique Wolfson Stadium
02/08 15h30 A South Africa vs Malawi Wolfson Stadium
03/08 10h00 B Zambia vs Namibia Wolfson Stadium
03/08 12h45 B Mauritius vs Botswana Wolfson Stadium
03/08 15h30 C Angola vs Eswatini Wolfson Stadium
05/08 12h45 A South Africa vs Madagascar Wolfson Stadium
05/08 12h45 A Malawi vs Comoros Gelvandale Stadium
05/08 15h30 C Zimbabwe vs Eswatini Wolfson Stadium
05/08 15h30 C Mozambique vs Angola Gelvandale Stadium
06/08 15h30 B Zambia vs Botswana Wolfson Stadium
06/08 15h30 B Namibia vs Mauritius Gelvandale Stadium
SEMI-FINALS
08/08 12h30 19 Winner Grp B vs Best Runner-up Wolfson Stadium
08/08 15h30 20 Winner Grp A vs Winner Grp C Wolfson Stadium
THIRD PLACE PLAY-OFF
10/08 15h00 21 Loser M19 vs Loser M20 Wolfson Stadium
FINAL
11/08 15h00 23 Winner M19 vs Winner M20 Wolfson Stadium
