Senegal will play Six-time winners Zimbabwe in 2021 COSAFA Cup
Six-time winners Zimbabwe have been drawn alongside west African guest nation Senegal in the group stages of the historic 20th edition of the COSAFA Cup that will be staged in Nelson Mandela Bay from July 7-18.
It is a tasty clash that will ignite the imagination in what is arguably a Group of Death that also includes Mozambique and 2015 COSAFA Cup winners Namibia.
Hosts South Africa also have an intriguing group that includes neighbours Lesotho, Botswana, and Eswatini. Bafana Bafana and Botswana have long been foes in this regional competition.
Defending champions Zambia will face Malawi, and the island nations of Madagascar and Comoros in their first-round pool.
Only the top team in each group and the best-placed runner-up will advance to the semifinals in what is a change information for the tournament this year.
That means each side is guaranteed three games up to a maximum of five, which will provide vital preparation for those national teams involved in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers later this year.
The COSAFA Cup is making a comeback after the event was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be hosted in Nelson Mandela Bay for the first time, which has been a familiar home for other COSAFA competitions in recent years.
The 19 previous editions of the competition have seen some great performances and incredible games that have been written into the folklore of Southern African football, but only five nations can claim to have lifted the coveted trophy.
Zimbabwe (six wins) lead the way, followed by Zambia (five), South Africa (four), Angola (three), and Namibia (one).
Mozambique, Malawi, and Botswana have all twice been finalists but ended up on the losing side on both occasions.
Lesotho (2000) is the only other team to reach the decider.
COSAFA extends warm thanks to the Eastern Cape Government, who have provided vital support to the 2021 COSAFA Cup that has allowed the competition to go ahead. The province’s commitment to bringing the international sport to the region is admirable and should be applauded.
Nelson Mandela Bay has been a proud host to a number of COSAFA events in recent years, though this will be the first time they have hosted the men’s senior tournament.
They have staged the last three COSAFA Women’s Championships with great success, as well as the COSAFA Men’s and Women’s Under-20 Championships, and COSAFA Men’s and Women’s Under-17 Championships.
The world-class infrastructure and passion of local officials to see football played in the Friendly City make them an excellent partner for COSAFA.
2021 COSAFA CUP DRAW:
GROUP A South Africa Lesotho Eswatini Botswana
GROUP B Zambia Malawi Madagascar Comoros
GROUP C Senegal Zimbabwe Mozambique Namibia