Preview: COSAFA Women’s Championship – Zimbabwe vs Eswatini

Zimbabwe willl begin their 2026 COSAFA Women’s Championship campaign with a match against Eswatini.

The tournament, hosted in South Africa, presents an opportunity for Zimbabwe to reassert themselves on the regional stage after missing out on recent major continental competitions. The Mighty Warriors are in Group B along with Eswatini, Zambia and Botswana.

The Zimbabwe women’s national team will begin their Group B campaign at 12 noon at the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane after the venue was changed from Seshego Stadium.

Zimbabwe has dominated the tie but preparations have not been ideal, with most local players coming from the off-season break. However, the technical team has expressed confidence in the squad’s readiness and mental focus ahead of the opener.

Coach Sithethelewe Sibanda said: “We have dominated them before but I don’t think it will count here. We will need to focus on what we are doing at the moment.

“Looking at the physical levels, I think they’re better than us.”

The match will be streamed live on FIFA+ and COSAFA’s YouTube channel, allowing fans across the region to follow the action.

Meanwhile, the top teams in in all the three groups will advance to the semi-finals, along with the best runner-up. Because there are three teams in Group C, results against the bottom-placed sides in Groups A and B will be disregarded for the purposes of that calculation.

With only the top teams advancing to the knockout stages, a win in the opening match is crucial. Three points would not only boost Zimbabwe’s chances of progression but also build momentum ahead of tougher fixtures in the group.

Match Details:

Fixture: Zimbabwe vs Eswatini

Competition: 2026 COSAFA Women’s Championship

Venue: Old Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane

Kick-off: 12:00 (CAT)

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