From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

COSAFA Cup

International association football tournament in Southern Africa

Field	Value
logo	[[File:COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup logo.jpg	200px]]
organiser	COSAFA
founded	1983
region	Southern Africa
number of teams	14
current champions
(5th title)
most successful team
(7 titles)
website
current	2025 COSAFA Cup

(5th title) (7 titles)

COSAFA

The COSAFA Cup (known fully as COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup) is an annual tournament for teams from Southern Africa organized by Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA), inaugurated after the ban against the Republic of South Africa had been lifted and the African Cup of Nations had been staged there in 1996.

History

The following teams have participated in the tournament in the past: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Eswatini (Swaziland), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Additionally, seven non-COSAFA members have competed: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Senegal. Zambia has won the most titles with seven wins, followed by Zimbabwe with six wins. Zambia has been the most prolific side in the competition failing to reach the top 4 only four times since the tournament's inception. The first editions of the competition were a knockout tournament staged over several months. As the competition grew, it transformed into a series of mini-tournaments.

The 2010 COSAFA Senior Challenge was to be the 14th edition of the football tournament that involves teams from Southern Africa. In July 2010 it was confirmed that Angola would host the competition. The 2010 edition of the competition was cancelled in October, 2010. COSAFA stated that the Angolan authorities did not give enough guarantees to host the tournament.

Results

#	Year	Host	Final	Third Place Match	Teams	Winner	Runner-up
1	1997
Details	Home/away	****					9
2	1998
Details	Home/away	****					10
3	1999
Details	Home/away	****	1–0
1–1		and	10
4	2000
Details	Home/away	****	3–0
3–0		and	11
5	2001
Details	Home/away	****	0–0
1–0		and	11
6	2002
Details	Home/away	****	3–1
1–0		and	12
7	2003
Details	Home/away	****	2–1
2–0		and	12
8	2004
Details	Various hosts	****	0–0
(5–4 pen.)		and	12
9	2005
Details	Mauritius
Namibia
South Africa
Zambia	****	1–0		and	13
10	2006
Details	Various hosts	****	2–0		and	13
11	2007
Details	Botswana
Mozambique
South Africa
Swaziland	****	0–0
(4–3 pen.)		and	13
12	2008
Details	South Africa	****	2–1			2–0	14
13	2009
Details	Zimbabwe	****	3–1			1–0	13
-	2010	Angola	Cancelled	Cancelled	14
14	2013
Details	Zambia	****	2–0			2–1	13
15	2015
Details	South Africa	****	2–0			2–1	14
16	2016
Details	Namibia	****	3–2			1–0	14
17	2017
Details	South Africa	****	3–1			0–0
(4–2 pen.)		14
18	2018
Details	South Africa	****	4–2			1–0	14
19	2019
Details	South Africa	****	1–0			2–2
(5–4 pen.)		13
20	2021
Details	South Africa	****	0–0
(5–4 pen.)			1–1
(4–2 pen.)		10
21	2022
Details	South Africa	****	1–0			1–1
(4–2 pen.)		14
22	2023
Details	South Africa	****	1–0			0–0
(5–3 pen.)		12
23	2024
Details	South Africa	****	5–0			2–2
(3–1 pen.)		12
24	2025
Details	South Africa	****	3–0			1–0	14

** A round-robin tournament determined the final standings.

Teams reaching the top four

Winners	Runners-up	Third Place	Fourth Place	Semi-finalists	Top 4 Finishes
7 (1997, 1998, 2006, 2013, 2019, 2022, 2023)	6 (2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2017, 2018)	1 (2008)	1 (2001)	4 (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003)	19
6 (2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2017, 2018)	3 (1998, 2001, 2013)	1 (2019)		2 (2004, 2006)	12
5 (2002, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2021)	1 (2025)	2 (2013, 2023)	1 (2009)	2 (2000, 2005)	11
5 (1999, 2001, 2004, 2024, 2025)	1 (2006)	1 (1998)		2 (2000, 2005)	9
1 (2015)	4 (1997, 1999, 2022, 2024)		1 (1998)		6
	2 (2008, 2015)	3 (1997, 2009, 2024)	2 (2021, 2022)	2 (2004, 2007)	9
	2 (2002, 2003)	1 (2001)	1 (2023)		4
	2 (2016, 2019)		1 (2015)	2 (2006, 2007)	5
	2 (2000, 2023)	1 (2018)	3 (2013, 2017, 2019)		6
	1 (2021)	1 (2022)			2
		2 (2016, 2021)		3 (1999, 2002, 2003)	5
		1 (2015)	3 (2008, 2018, 2025)		4
		1 (2017)	1 (1997)		2
		1 (2025)	1 (2024)		2
			1 (2016)		1

Medals (1997-2025)

Participating nations

;Legend

– Champions
– Runners-up
– Third place
– Fourth place
5th – Fifth place
– Semi-finals
QF – Quarter-finals
GS – Group stage
1R – First round
2R – Second round
Q – Qualified
— Hosts
– – Did not enter
–– – Withdrew before qualification / Banned

Team	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	20102	2013	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
	–	3rd	1st	SF	1st	QF	1R	1st	SF	2nd	1R	QF	QF	x	QF	–	GS	GS	GS	––1	–	GS	GS	1st	1st
	1R	1R	2R	1R	1R	1R	QF	QF	1R	SF	SF	QF	QF	x	GS	4th	2nd	QF	QF	2nd	GS	QF	GS	GS	GS
	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	GS	GS	x	–	–	–	–	GS	QF	––1	GS	GS	4th	3rd
	1R	1R	SF	QF	QF	SF	SF	QF	1R	1R	1R	GS	GS	x	GS	GS	3rd	QF	QF	GS	3rd	QF	GS	GS	GS
	1R	1R	QF	2nd	QF	1R	1R	1R	1R	1R	1R	GS	GS	x	4th	GS	QF	4th	3rd	4th	GS	GS	2nd	GS	GS
	–	–	–	––	–	QF	QF	1R	1R	1R	1R	4th	––1	x	–	3rd	GS	GS	4th	–	––1	QF	–	–	4th
	5th	1R	2R	QF	SF	2nd	2nd	QF	1R	1R	1R	GS	QF	x	QF	QF	GS	GS	GS	QF	GS	GS	4th	–	GS
	–	–	–	1R	QF	1R	1R	QF	1R	1R	1R	GS	GS	x	GS	GS	GS	GS	GS	GS	–	GS	GS	–	GS
	3rd	5th	QF	1R	1R	QF	QF	SF	1R	1R	SF	2nd	3rd	x	QF	2nd	QF	GS	GS	GS	4th	4th	GS	3rd	GS
	2nd	4th	2nd	QF	1R	1R	1R	1R	1R	1R	1R	QF	QF	x	QF	1st	QF	QF	QF	GS	GS	2nd	GS	2nd	GS
	–	–	–	––	–	–	–	–	1R	1R	1R	GS	GS	x	GS	GS	GS	GS	GS	GS	–	GS	GS	GS	–
	–	1R	QF	SF	QF	1st	QF	1R	SF	1R	1st	1st	4th	x	3rd	QF	1st	QF	QF	QF	1st	QF	3rd	GS	2nd
	1st	1st	SF	QF	SF	SF	SF	2nd	2nd	1st	2nd	3rd	2nd	x	1st	QF	QF	2nd	2nd	1st	GS	1st	1st	GS	GS
	1R	2nd	QF	1st	2nd	QF	1st	SF	1st	SF	1R	QF	1st	x	2nd	GS	GS	1st	1st	3rd	GS	–	–	GS	GS
*	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	4th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
*	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	––1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
*	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	QF	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
*	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	GS	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	GS	–
*	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	2nd	3rd	–	–	–
*	4th	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	––1	GS	–	3rd	–	–	–	–	–	–	GS
*	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	QF	–	–	–	–	–

*D.R. Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Senegal are not COSAFA members, but have been invited to participate in the past.

1 Withdrew from tournament.

2 Tournament not played.

Summary (1997–2022)

COSAFA Cup invitees are included in the table with blue.

Rank		width=200	Team		Part		M		W		D		L		GF		GA		GD		Points
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21

Top scorers

Peter Ndlovu of Zimbabwe and Manuel 'Tico-Tico' Bucuane of Mozambique are all-time top goalscorers in the tournament with ten goals each. In 2021 Felix Badenhorst of Eswatini moved into second position with nine goals.

Year	Player	Goals
1998	ZIM Tauya Mrewa ZIM Peter Ndlovu ZIM Shepherd Muradzikwa ZIM Benjamin Nkonjera	2
1999	ANG Betinho	3
2000	ZIM Luke Petros RSA Delron Buckley	2
2001	18 players tied	1
2002	SWZ Mfanzile Dlamini ZAM Rotson Kilambe RSA Teboho Mokoena SWZ Siza Dlamini RSA Patrick Mayo	2
2003	ZIM Peter Ndlovu ZAM Noel Mwandila Malawi Russel Mwafulirwa	2
2004	ZIM Peter Ndlovu	3
2005	ZAM Collins Mbesuma	4
2006	ANG Fabrice Akwa	3
2007	MAD Paulin Voavy	3
2008	SEY Phillip Zialor	4
2009	ZIM Cuthbert Malajila	4
2013	BOT Jerome Ramatlhakwane	4
2015	MAD Sarivahy Vombola	5
2016	SWZ Felix Badenhorst	5
2017	ZIM Ovidy Karuru	6
2018	BOT Onkabetse Makgantai	5
2019	MWI Gabadinho Mhango MWI Gerald Phiri Jr. Mauritius Ashley Nazira	3
2021	RSA Sepana Letsoalo	4
2022	SWZ Sabelo Ndzinisa	3
2023	RSA Tshegofatso Mabasa
ZAM Albert Kangwanda	3
2024	ANG Depú	5
2025	ANG Depú	8

Notes

References

(24 March 2008). "COSAFA Tournament to continue". The Lusaka Times.
Redvers, Lousie. (29 July 2010). "Angola to Host Cosafa Cup in November". BBC News.
Muchinjo, Enock. (18 October 2010). "COSAFA tourney cancelled, hosts blamed". Daily News.
(18 October 2010). "COSAFA tourney cancelled, hosts blamed".
"Badenhorst makes Cosafa Cup history". The Namibian.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

cosafa-cup men's-international-association-football-competitions-in-africa cosafa-competitions association-football-competitions-in-africa-for-men's-national-teams 1983-establishments-in-africa recurring-sporting-events-established-in-1983

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about COSAFA Cup — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report