Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies were crowned champions of the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier 2026 after defeating Zambia’s ZESCO Ndola Girls 2-1 in a fiercely contested final.
The South African champions produced a determined performance to overcome a resilient ZESCO side, securing the regional title and further strengthening their preparations ahead of the CAF Women’s Champions League.
For Sundowns coach, Godfrey Sapula, the victory was the result of a performance that demanded more than just quality football, with his side having to dig deep to get over the line.
“Mixed emotions, excitement, humility. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Coach Sapula expressed his feelings after the final. “This is a game that we knew from our analysis would take playing beautiful football to win. It would take more fight, more heart, more running, more looking competitive and winning the duels.”
Coach Sapula praised his players for their commitment throughout the final, admitting that while they could have produced a better performance in certain areas, their fighting spirit ultimately proved decisive.
“The players have been magnificent in the final. We could have been better and we didn’t do that well today. We made sure to come and fight more, grind more and find the result.”
The victory is particularly significant given Sundowns’ previous experience against ZESCO. The coach revealed that the team’s preparations for this campaign began after their defeat to the Zambian side last year, making the latest victory an important milestone in their journey.
Focus Turns to CAF Champions League
With the COSAFA title secured, Sundowns Ladies will now turn their attention to the next stage of their continental campaign as they prepare for the CAF Women’s Champions League.
Coach Sapula believes the momentum gained from the COSAFA campaign can provide a strong foundation, but stressed that there is still considerable work to be done.
“Our preparation for this tournament started when we lost to ZESCO last year this time and we’ll try to take the momentum that we have into the CAF Champions League, as the preparations have already started,” he explained.
Despite scoring freely during the tournament, Coach Sapula identified one area that needs immediate improvement: their efficiency in front of goal.
“There’s a lot of things to fix. If you check today’s game, we created enough chances to wrap the game in the first half, but our conversion ratio and our decision-making were not clinical.”
The Sundowns coach acknowledged that their goal-scoring record might suggest otherwise, but insisted that greater efficiency will be essential when they face the continent’s best teams.
“Someone might say we’ve scored a lot of goals in this tournament, but the coach is talking about being clinical. We know there’s capacity. Players can still improve, and we’ll have to tap into that capacity and improve our conversion, finesse and final-third composure.”
Coach Sapula understands that the margins will be even smaller at the CAF Women’s Champions League, where opportunities can be limited and matches decided by a single moment.
“Some of the matches will be tight, there won’t be a lot of scoring opportunities,” he said.
For Sundowns Ladies, the COSAFA triumph is therefore more than another trophy. It is a stepping stone towards their bigger continental ambition. Having overcome ZESCO Ndola Girls 2-1 in a demanding final, the Brazilians now have the opportunity to build on their regional success as they set their sights on competing against Africa’s elite.
Last year’s champions, Gaborone United Ladies walked away with a bronze medal after winning 4-0 against Silver Strikers of Malawi in the third-place play offs. ZESCO are runners up and received a silver medal in this year’s competition.
Awards:
Karabo Dhlamini: Player of the tournament
Andile Dlamini: Golden Glove
Refilwe Tholakele: Golden Boot (Seven goals)
ZESCO Ndola Girls: Fairplay
Writer: Jabulile Mabena
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