Bafana Bafana are set to show their superiority once again in the annual Cosafa competition to be held from June 26 to July 7 in South Africa.
A total of 11 teams have already confirmed their participation in the competition, with the 11th set to be revealed in the next couple of days.
Hosts South Africa have been pooled in Group A alongside Botswana, Mozambique, and Eswatini. It is interesting to note that Botswana have been put together with Bafana for the ninth consecutive time. In the previous 12 meetings, the former have not managed to get an outright win against the latter.
Group B is composed of record winners Zambia – who have secured the crown seven times, Comoros, Zimbabwe, and a yet-to-be-confirmed team.
Last season's finalists Lesotho head Group C with Seychelles, Angola and Namibia.
What is the format?
Every nation is set to play three games in the group with a maximum of five in the entire competition to ensure players get enough time to rest after a busy season with their respective teams.
The group matches are scheduled to be played between June 26 and July 3 with the semi-final set for July 5. The final games will be staged two days later.
Some Southern Africa countries use this competition to give a chance to quality players who are still struggling to break into the senior team.
After Zambia, South Africa have won five titles, the same as Zimbabwe who are aiming at re-establishing themselves in the region. Angola come in with three crowns with Namibia securing the honours just once.
Despite reaching the final, Malawi, Mozambique and Botswana have not been lucky enough to win their maiden title.
Nations taking part in this edition will have an added advantage since all matches will be aired live on FIFA+ and across all Cosafa platforms. It will be a massive opportunity for players to market themselves in the world and stand a chance of making life-changing moves.
