ZESCO Ndola Girls have maintained a hundred percent winning record at the 2026 COSAFA Caf Women’s Champions League qualifiers.
They defeated Gaborone Ladies 0 – 2 yesterday to top Group A and advance to the semifinals with nine points, and will possibly face Silver Strikers or Costa do Sol.
ZESCO’s win came after consecutive victories: a 5-2 win over Herentals Queens and a narrow 1-0 victory over Lesotho Defence Force.
Yesterday’s match repeated last year’s final, where ZESCO suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat on penalties to Gaborone United, missing out on both the COSAFA title and a place in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
They will be looking to win the title and qualify for their debut CAF Women’s Champions League.
Group B to be decided today
Meanwhile, the semi-final places in Group B will be decided at the Gaborone United Stadium today as the pool reaches its conclusion.
Silver Strikers of Malawi face Eswatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs at 16h00 local time, before two-time African champions Mamelodi Sundowns meet Mozambique’s Costa do Sol at 19h00.
Sundowns lead the group with six points and need only a draw to guarantee their passage to the semi-finals.
Silver Strikers and Costa do Sol both have three points, with the Malawians holding the advantage after beating their Mozambican rivals earlier in the competition.
A Silver Strikers victory, coupled with Sundowns avoiding defeat, would send the Malawians through. A draw could also be enough for Strikers if Costa do Sol fail to beat Sundowns.
Costa do Sol know victory would put them firmly in the semi-final picture, while a draw would only be enough if Silver Strikers lose.
Hotspurs are still mathematically alive despite losing their opening two matches. They require a sizeable victory over Silver Strikers and must hope Sundowns defeat Costa do Sol, which would leave three teams on three points and bring the head-to-head tiebreakers into play.
Should Costa do Sol and Silver Strikers both win, Sundowns, Costa do Sol and Silver Strikers would all finish on six points, with the tiebreaking criteria deciding the two semi-finalists.
