Ten reasons why the Cosafa Cup remains the best regional tournament

The 2024 Cosafa Cup is in full swing with a youthful and inexperienced South Africa having opened their Group A campaign with a solid 1-1 draw against Mozambique in Gqeberha on Wednesday.

The annual regional showpiece event was once described by Fifa as the “best regional competition in the world” and it continues to live up to that billing. Here are 10 reasons why.

REGIONAL RIVALRY

There is a fierce rivalry between Southern African football fans, who love nothing better than getting one over their neighbours or the powerhouses from the region.

The Cosafa Cup gives them an annual platform to gain the bragging rights, whether it be record seven-time winners Zambia, six-time victors Zimbabwe or five-time champions South Africa. It is a tough competition to win, Angola (three) and Namibia (one) are the only other nations to lift the title.

DEVELOPMENT PATHWAY

Several countries bring their full international squads to the Cosafa Cup, but for others it is a chance to widen their player pool by providing international exposure to a new generation. It is a tournament loved by coaches as they can look at players that it would be tough to give game-time to in the cut-and-thrust of Africa Cup of Nations or World Cup qualifiers.

So many top names from around the region have made their international debuts in the Cosafa Cup.

SCOUTS LOVE IT

There are scouts from literally all over the world that cast eyes on the Cosafa Cup each year as it is a regional showcase of the talent available in the Southern African leagues. Plenty of players have been snatched from the tournament by either PSL teams or those further afield over the years. Perhaps the most notable in recent times was Highlands Park signing Peter Shalulile in the middle of the 2015 Cosafa Cup as he took Namibia to the title with his strong displays.

GAME-TIME FOR SMALLER NATIONS

The region’s heavyweights don’t seem to have a problem organising friendly games to fine-tune their squads between qualifiers, but for the so-called smaller countries it is a problem, especially from a financial point of view. So for them to have a minimum of three, but as many as five, additional competitive fixtures annually is a major boost and it is an irrefutable fact that this has helped to improve the standard of teams in Southern Africa. 

There were a joint record five sides from the Cosafa region at the last Cup of Nations finals – South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Angola and Mozambique.

ASSESSING REGIONAL TRENDS

There is an experienced Technical Study Group that watches every minute of every game at the Cosafa Cup and provides detailed reports on trends and concepts they have seen during the tournament. These reports are shared with every Cosafa Member Association to be studied by their technical teams and detail the positives and negatives, and how these trends stack up globally.

These reports are invaluable information that can help teams improve. It is all about helping each other improve the level across the region.

GOOD FOOTBALL

It is a competition that has thrown up some superb games over the years, with surprise results and tense encounters. From seven-goal thrillers, to tight, tactical 1-0 wins, there is something for both the purists and the entertainment seekers to enjoy.

It has a large audience from around the region, while for those in the host cities, the stadium tickets are free, giving young and old the chance to watch international football at no cost.

FILLING A HOLE

Club coaches may not like it much as it robs them of their players during the vital pre-season period, but the packed international calendar means the Cosafa Cup is generally played in either June or July.

For fans this is mostly a dead space on the calendar with no domestic football, so they have a chance to get their football ‘fix’ and keep them going until the new campaign starts.

GUEST NATIONS

Cosafa receives many requests each year from prospective guest nations to be part of the line-up and where possible obliges as it exposes Southern African teams to a different style of football. The Cosafa Cup has seen guest appearances from Senegal, Ghana, DR Congo, Uganda and Tanzania down the years, while in 2024 Kenya make a second appearance having debuted in 2013.

ORGANISATION

Cosafa receives limited funding from Fifa and CAF that generally goes towards age-group tournaments in the Under-17 and Under-20 category, yet still it manages to host the hugely expensive regional senior men’s competition on an annual basis, bar a Covid-19 interruption in 2020.

This is done through partnerships with host cities and sponsors, and world-class organisation from the administration team. When you compare it to the regional tournaments in the other African zones, which happen sporadically at best, it is a major accomplishment.

OFF-PITCH DEVELOPMENT

Wherever the Cosafa Cup is staged there is plenty of off-pitch workshops and courses to upskill grassroots coaches and administrators in that city. Whether it be their introduction to a SAFA D-License course or something more advanced.

There are also generally workshops for referees, medical personnel involved in football and even local media, leaving a legacy of knowledge behind.