By Agnes Amondi,
The COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship will be played for the second time this year after its inaugural edition in 2019, which was also held in Mauritius.
Uganda were the inaugural winners of the COSAFA Under-17 Women’s Championship after they beat South Africa 2-1 in the decider.
Zambia defeated Botswana 3-0 to claim the bronze medal for third place in the championship last year.
Juliet Nalukenge from champions Uganda finished as the leading scorer in last year’s championship with 18 goals in the five matches she played.
South Africa captain Jessica Wade, who will return to lead the team this year, was named the inaugural Player of the Tournament in the 2019.
Two venues have been scheduled to be used for the championships; St. François Xavier Stadium in Port Louis and Auguste Vollaire Stadium in Flacq.
The eight competing teams are split into two groups of four. Only the top two sides in each pool advance to the semifinals.
South Africa and Zambia are the only two COSAFA nations to have appeared at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. South Africa managed the feat in 2010 and 2018, while Zambia were there in 2014.
Only four nations from the COSAFA region have entered the qualifiers for the FIFA Women’s Under-17 World Cup before – Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia.
Eight teams entered into the 2020 COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship; Botswana, Comoros Islands, Eswatini, Malawi, Mauritius, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship is open to all 14 of the nations that make up the Southern African regional body, while Reunion, as an associate member, may also enter tournaments.
The 2020 COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship features 16 matches, 12 in the first round group stage, two semifinals, a third-place play-off and a final.
2020 COSAFA Women’s Under-17 Championship starts on April 17 and runs through to April 26.
28 – The number of goals scored by South Africa as they overwhelmed Seychelles in their Group B clash in 2019. It was the biggest score in an international match in Africa, the biggest winning margin in a women’s competitive international and the largest margin of victory by any South African team.
36 – South Africa scored the most goals in pool play in 2019, with 36 in their three group matches. They were also the only side to advance with a full haul of nine points.
158 – There were a massive 158 goals scored in the 16 games in the championship in 2019.
Courtesy COSAFA Media
