COSAFA Cup

The COSAFA Cup, officially known as the COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup, is an annual regional men’s football competition for members of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA), which includes countries like Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, Angola, etc. Since its inception in 1997, the tournament has occasionally invited non-COSAFA teams to participate, such as Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Senegal.

Typically held in June or July, the COSAFA Cup may sometimes kick off in May. It features 12 teams divided into three groups of four, with the group winners and the best runner-up advancing to the knockout stage.

In the group stage, teams compete in a single round-robin format, with each country facing every other side in their group once. The knockout stage consists of one-legged semifinals, a third-place playoff, and a final.

The first two editions of the COSAFA Cup lacked a formal tournament format, with Zambia winning both titles after finishing first in a final-round group. The 1999 edition introduced a two-legged final, which saw Angola narrowly defeat Namibia. However, this format was abandoned by the 2004 tournament, resulting once again in Angola being crowned champion under a revised format.

Zambia has been one of the most successful nations in COSAFA Cup history, securing their seventh title in 2023. They are joined by South Africa and Zimbabwe, who have also enjoyed significant success in the competition.