Cosafa 2024: A Statistical Overview

Cosafa 2024: A Statistical Overview

The 23rd edition of the COSAFA Cup will take place from June 26 to July 7, featuring the top teams in the region vying for the prestigious trophy. This year’s tournament comes at a busy time for national teams, with Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers also on the horizon. Here’s a look at some key statistics and historical highlights:

1. Namibia: Namibia’s first and only COSAFA Cup triumph was in 2015, making them the fifth country to win the title. In 2022, they narrowly lost to Zambia 1-0 after extra time in the final. Namibia also hosted the tournament for the first time in 2016.
2. Bronze Medalists: Mozambique (1997 & 2009), Eswatini (2016 & 2021), and South Africa (2013 & 2023) are the only teams to have won the bronze medal more than once. Mozambique almost secured a third bronze in 2022 but lost 4-2 on penalties to Senegal after a 1-1 draw. Mozambique also has two silver medals (2008 and 2015) but has never won gold.
3. Lesotho: Lesotho reached the COSAFA Cup semifinals three consecutive times between 2017 and 2019 but fell short each time. They finally reached their second final in 2023, losing 1-0 to Zambia. Lesotho also finished third in 2018 and fourth in 2017 and 2019. Their first final appearance was in 2000, where they lost 3-0 to Zimbabwe in both legs.
4. South Africa: South Africa has won the Plate trophy four times (2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022) and secured the main trophy in 2021 for their fifth title. They hold the record for the most Plate trophies, though this competition no longer exists.
5. Record Goals: Seychelles striker Phillip Zialor holds the record for the most goals in a single COSAFA Cup match, scoring four in their 7-0 win over Mauritius in 2008.
6. Most Successful Coach: Zimbabwe’s Sunday Chidzambwa, honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the COSAFA Awards, is the most successful coach in the tournament’s history, with four titles (2005, 2009, 2017, and 2018). He has never lost outright in a COSAFA Cup match, having coached 19 games.
7. Eswatini: Eswatini has reached the COSAFA Cup semifinals five times (1999, 2002, 2003, 2016, and 2021) but has never made it to the final. They are among five teams never to have reached the final, along with Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Comoros.
8. Own Goals: Malawi has benefited from a disproportionate number of own goals in their favor in COSAFA Cup history, with six own goals scored by opponents.
9. Top Scorer: Zimbabwe forward Ovidy Karuru scored six goals at the 2017 COSAFA Cup, becoming the top scorer of that tournament and setting the record for the most goals in a single competition.
10. Guest Nations: Six guest nations have participated in the COSAFA Cup: Tanzania (three appearances), Senegal (two appearances), Kenya, Ghana, DR Congo, and Uganda. Senegal has the best record among them, finishing as runners-up in 2021 and third in 2022.
11. Zambia: Zambia holds the record for the most COSAFA Cup titles with seven, including the last two tournaments. They aim to become the first team to win three consecutive titles. Zambia has also been runners-up six times, the most of any nation.
12. Biggest Win: Seychelles’ 7-0 victory over Mauritius in 2008 remains the biggest margin of victory in the competition’s history and their only win in the tournament so far.
13. Consistent Competitors: Seven teams have participated in every edition of the COSAFA Cup since its inception in 1997: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zambia.
14. Top Scorer in History: Eswatini forward Felix Badenhorst holds the record for the most goals in COSAFA Cup history, with nine goals, one more than Zimbabwe legend Peter Ndlovu.
15. First Edition: Nine nations competed in the inaugural COSAFA Cup. This year’s tournament will feature 12 teams.
16. Hat-Tricks: There have been 11 hat-tricks in COSAFA Cup history, with no player scoring more than one. The last three hat-tricks have all come against Lesotho, including two in 2021.
17. Zambia’s Early Dominance: It took 12 matches before Zambia suffered their first COSAFA Cup defeat, having won the first two tournaments. They were eventually beaten 1-0 by Angola in 1999.
18. Youngest Player: Angolan goalkeeper Eduardo Bunga was just 15 years old when he played in the 2016 COSAFA Cup.
19. Semifinal Appearances: Zambia has reached the COSAFA Cup semifinals 18 times, more than any other team, and has advanced to the final in 13 of those. Zimbabwe is next with 12 semifinal appearances.
20. Longest Unbeaten Run: Zimbabwe’s 2-0 loss to Namibia in 2021 ended a 17-game unbeaten streak, the longest in COSAFA Cup history. Their previous loss was also to Namibia in a 4-1 upset in 2015.
21. Most Wins: Zimbabwe has won 38 matches in COSAFA Cup history, more than any other country.
22. Most Matches Played: Zambia has played 70 matches in the COSAFA Cup, the most by any team.
23. Most Goals Scored: Zimbabwe has scored 110 goals in COSAFA Cup history, the highest total of any team.
24. Inaugural Tournament: The COSAFA Cup was first staged in 1997, with Zambia winning the inaugural title.
25. Back-to-Back Titles: South Africa completed a notable feat by winning back-to-back COSAFA Cup titles in 2008, a decade after Zambia (1997 & 1998) and Zimbabwe (2017 & 2018) did the same.