COSAFA Cup - Betting Odds, Event Details, Records and Favourites to Win

Date: 2025.06. TBA
Location: TBA


The COSAFA Cup is an annual international football competition organized by the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA). It primarily features teams from Southern Africa, providing a platform for national teams to compete and showcase their talents. The COSAFA Cup is the most prestigious football competition in this part of the world



History:

Football has been a popular sport in the African region since the early 20th century. However, the sport did not receive the same level of support as it did in other parts of the world. The Council of Southern African Football Associations was initially formed in 1983 and was revamped in 1997 as a number of teams joined the association and were included as the founding members.

COSAFA manages and organizes several football competitions in the Southern African region. These include different events for men and women and multiple age group tournaments. With its vision to expand and promote football in the region, the council inaugurated its iconic Cosafa Cup in 1997.

A more prominent name of the competition is Cosafa Senior Challenge, as it involves senior teams in Southern Africa.

A total of 22 editions of the COSAFA Cup have been held until now.


Teams and Format:

As per the current format of the COSAFA Cup, a total of 14 teams participate in the competition. This involves a unique draw system where 8 teams compete in the qualifying round while 6 teams join the competition directly in the knockout stages.

The qualifying sides are divided into two groups of four teams each. The table toppers from each group qualify for the knockout stage, where they join the top 6 teams for the quarterfinals. These are all single-legged knockout matches, with the winner progressing to the next stage. A special third-place playoff game is also organized to add to the hype and build-up.

Over the years, Madagascar, Botswana, Angola, Eswatini, Madagascar, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, and Senegal are the teams that have competed in the COSAFA Cup. Some of these teams participated as invited guests for the event, despite not belonging to the Southern African region.


2024 Champions:

Angola beat Namibia in the tournament final with the score of 5-0.


Past Winners:

Zambia:

Zambia has been the most successful team in the history of the COSAFA Cup, with 7 titles to its name. Their victories came in 1997, 1998, 2006, 2013, 2019, 2022 and 2023. They have also finished as the second-best team in the competition six times. In total, they have finished among the top 4 sides 17 times in this competition. They are also the reigning champions of the COSAFA Cup, as they won the final against Namibia with a narrow margin of 1-0.

Zimbabwe:

Zimbabwe has also won the COSAFA Cup 6 times while finishing as runners-up thrice. Their titles came in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2017, and 2018.

South Africa:

South Africa has won COSAFA Cup five times, with victories in 2002, 2007, 2008, 2016, and 2021.

Other winners:

Angola, who won it twice, and Namibia are the only other teams to win the COSAFA Cup.


The upcoming edition of COSAFA Cup – COSAFA Cup 2025:

The host and the dates for the 2025 COSAFA Cup have not been announced yet.