New format for Cosafa Cup, 20th edition draw to be held on Thursday

15 Jun, 2021 - 11:06 0 Views
New format for Cosafa Cup, 20th edition draw to be held on Thursday

The Sunday News

Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter

THE draw for the 2021 Cosafa Cup will be held in the in host city of Nelson Mandela Bay on Thursday, as preparations for the historic 20th edition of the regional showpiece competition kick into gear.

In a statement sent out on Tuesday, Cosafa said the draw for this year’s edition will be live on their television channel. Last year, the Cosafa Cup did not take place because of the coronavirus pandemic. What brings excitement to this year’s Cosafa Cup is that West African football powerhouse Senegal will be making an appearance as a guest nation.

“The 12-team tournament will take place from July 7-18 and returns after the 2020 edition had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The draw will be live on www.cosafa.tv from 11h00, when the fate of the competing teams will be decided.

“And there will be plenty of excitement with the addition of West African powerhouse Senegal to the field this year as they make a guest appearance in what is a landmark tournament for Cosafa,’’ said Cosafa.

A number of footballers have over the years launched their careers in the Cosafa Cup which continues to be a major driver of football development on and off the pitch for not just players, but also coaches, match officials and administrators.

A new format has been introduced for this year’s Cosafa Cup, with the 12 teams split into three groups each containing four teams. This ensures each side will play a minimum of three matches. According to Cosafa, the top team in each pool, as well as the best second-placed finisher, will advance to the semifinals. There will be no Plate competition.

Senegal is the top-ranked side in Africa and sit at number 22 in the world and will make their debut in Cosafa competition.

“Guest nations from outside the region have, over the years, provided excellent entertainment and a contrast in styles that makes for fascinating viewing. The other 10 sides confirmed so far are no strangers to the COSAFA Cup and include hosts South Africa, defending champions Zambia and record six-time winners Zimbabwe.”

According to Cosafa, other countries confirmed for this year’s tournament are Botswana, Comoros Islands, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique and Namibia with the 12th team will be confirmed in the coming days with a number of interested parties.

Zimbabwe, just like other countries that are competing in the group stages of the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers that start in September will be eager to use the Cosafa Cup to fine-tune their preparations for a shot at making the finals in Qatar.

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) are the only other team to reach the decider.

@Mdawini_29

 

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