Cape Town — The Cosafa (Council of Southern Africa Football Associations) teams, Green Buffaloes from Zambia and South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies FC were first out of the blocks to qualify for the prestigious 2022 CAF (Confederation of African Football) Women’s Champions League finals.
Green Buffaloes carried over the superb form of their national side, the Copper Queens, to defeat CAF champions Sundowns in the recent Cosafa qualifier final at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Durban. The Copper Queens finished third at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco after defeating 11-time champions Nigeria in the play-off for bronze.
Green Buffaloes shocked the hitherto unbeaten Sundowns in the final with a 6-5 penalty shoot-out victory after the match ended in a goalless stalemate. Sundowns were crowned inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League winners after defeating Hasaacas Ladies of Ghana in Cairo last year.
The 2022 final will be played in Morocco in October and November and will be hosted by Moroccan champions AS FAR (Association's Sports of Forces Armed Royal).
In line with the regulations of the competition, the zone that produces the African champions is represented by two clubs. The qualifiers in the other regions will be completed by the end of August.
Meanwhile, African champions Banyana Banyana are preparing to play hosts in the Cosafa Women’s Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay from August 31-September 11. This will be the sixth year in a row that the event will be staged in the region. South Africa will be hosting the championship for the fifth time.
Mauritius and Mozambique will kick off the 2022 event at the magnificent Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on August 31. The final to be staged at the same venue on September 11.
This Group A clash will be followed by a fixture between African champions South Africa and Angola from the same pool later in the afternoon.
South Africa and Zambia have qualified for the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.
Banyana Banyana midfielder Sibulele Holweni was the star in the past two tournaments after scoring a glut of goals. At the 2020 event, she scored eight goals, after netting five in a 7-0 victory over Comoros. She scored in the semi-final and final.
In the 2021 showpiece, Holweni, a defender, won the Golden Boot award again after scoring five goals in the tournament.
The former Under-17 national team captain currently plays for the University of Western Cape in the Super League.
IOL Sport