Zesco Ndola Girls have suffered another heartbreak in the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifiers after losing 2-1 to Mamelodi Sundowns in Saturday’s final at Gaborone United Stadium in Botswana.
The defeat means Zesco has finished runners-up in the regional qualifiers for a second consecutive year, while Sundowns will represent the Southern African region at the CAF Women’s Champions League later this year.
Both teams entered the final unbeaten, but it was Sundowns who emerged victorious after 90 minutes to claim the coveted COSAFA qualification ticket.
Zesco Ndola Girls head coach Florence Mwila admitted that the result was not what her team had planned for but acknowledged that Zesco struggled to settle into the contest early on.
“The result’s not good, not part of the plan, but I think we started on a very slow note,” Mwila said after the match.
The coach, however, praised her players for fighting their way back into the contest despite coming under pressure.
“The positive is that the girls had to push, we coalesced, and then obviously, I think there was so much under pressure,” she said.
Mwila also pointed to the penalty conceded by her side as a major setback in the final.
“We had to make that penalty that really put us down, but not a result that we expected,” she said.
The defeat extends Zesco’s wait for COSAFA Women’s Champions League qualification after they came agonizingly close in their maiden appearance last year.
Zesco reached the final in 2025 after famously defeating Mamelodi Sundowns 2-1 in the semifinal, only to lose to Gaborone United on penalties following a 1-1 draw.
A year later, they again reached the decisive match, but this time Sundowns turned the tables to deny the Zambian champions continental qualification.
I have picked positives” – Mwila.
Despite the disappointment, Mwila believes the tournament has provided valuable lessons for her players and expects those lessons to contribute to their continued development.
The Zambian coach says the team must now shift focus to defending their domestic title while working on the weaknesses exposed during the regional campaign.
“We have another task ahead of us, which is to defend the championship back home,” Mwila said.
“I think the positives we’ve picked up from here are the commitment and the fighting spirit from the players, and we pick it up from here to improve in the areas that we need to improve on as a team.”
“So that when we come back, we will come back for the title,” she said.
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