2023 COSAFA Cup

The 2023 COSAFA Cup was the 22nd edition of the annual association football competition organized by COSAFA. It was held in South Africa for the sixth straight year, this time in Durban, from 5 to 16 July 2023.^[1] Zambia were the defending champions.^[2]

2023 COSAFA Cup

Tournament details
Host country	South Africa
City	Durban
Dates	5–16 July 2023
Teams	12 (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)	3 (in 3 host cities)
Final positions
Champions	Zambia (7th title)
Runners-up	Lesotho
Third place	South Africa
Fourth place	Malawi
Tournament statistics
Matches played	22
Goals scored	48 (2.18 per match)
Top scorer(s)	Tshegofatso Mabasa Albert Kangwanda (3 goals each)
← 2022 2024 →

Participating nations

National team	FIFA Ranking (31 March 2023)[3]	Best Performance
Eswatini	144	Semi-finals (1999, 2002, 2003, 2021)
Mauritius	180	Quarter-finals (2001, 2004)
Comoros	131	Group stage
Lesotho	150	Runners-up (2000)
Botswana	152	Runners-up (2016, 2019)
Malawi	127	Runners-up (2002, 2003)
Zambia	86	Champions (1997, 1998, 2006, 2013, 2019, 2022)
Mozambique	119	Runners-up (2008, 2015)
Namibia	106	Champions (2015)
South Africa	66	Champions (2002, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2021)
Angola	118	Champions (1999, 2001, 2004)
Seychelles	197	Group stage

Format

For the first time, all participants will enter the Group Stage for three groups of four nations. The winners of each group and best runner-up will advance to the knockout stages. The new format guarantees between three and five matches for each team. No plate competitions will be held in this edition of the tournament.^[4]

Venues

Umlazi KwaMashu Durban
	Umlazi	KwaMashu	Durban
	King Zwelithini Stadium	Princess Magogo Stadium	Chatsworth Stadium	Moses Mabhida Stadium
	Capacity: 10,000	Capacity: 12,000	Capacity: 22,000	Capacity: 85,000

Draw

The draw for the group stage of the 2023 COSAFA Cup was held on 26 May 2023 in Johannesburg.^[1]

Group stage

Group stage matches will be played between 5–12 July 2023.^[4]

Group A

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	South Africa	3	2	1	0	5	3	+2	7	Advance to knockout stage
2	Botswana	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
3	Eswatini	3	1	0	2	3	4	−1	3
4	Namibia	3	0	2	1	2	3	−1	2

Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Eswatini	0–1	Botswana
	Report	Ditsele 23'

5 July 2023

15:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

South Africa	1–1	Namibia
Human 48'	Report	Kambindu 43'

5 July 2023

18:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

---

South Africa	2–1	Botswana
Rayners 66' (pen.) Mogaila 68'	Report	Kgamanyane 63'

8 July 2023

15:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

Namibia	1–2	Eswatini
Limbondi 34'	Report	Matse 41' Matsebula 44'

8 July 2023

18:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

---

Namibia	0–0	Botswana
	Report

11 July 2023

18:00

Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

South Africa	2–1	Eswatini
Mabasa 76', 88'	Report	Matsebula 51'

11 July 2023

18:00

Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu

Group B

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Malawi	3	3	0	0	5	0	+5	9	Advance to knockout stage
2	Zambia	3	2	0	1	6	4	+2	6	Advance to knockout stage based on ranking
3	Comoros	3	1	0	2	4	4	0	3
4	Seychelles	3	0	0	3	2	9	−7	0

Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Seychelles	0–3	Comoros
	Report	Djambae 27' Djoudja 39' Bacar 59'

6 July 2023

15:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

Zambia	0–1	Malawi
	Report	Katebe 17' (o.g.)

6 July 2023

18:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

---

Zambia	2–1	Comoros
Mulambia 51' Kangwanda 74'	Report	Djambae 67'

9 July 2023

15:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

Malawi	2–0	Seychelles
Nkhoma 55' Jacama Kumwembe 65'	Report

9 July 2023

18:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

---

Malawi	2–0	Comoros
Kaonga 30' (pen.) Mwaungulu 36'	Report

11 July 2023

15:00

Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

Seychelles	2–4	Zambia
Labrosse 81' Mellie 90' (pen.)	Report	Kangwanda 11' Kanguluma 54' Mashata 58' Mulambia 73'

11 July 2023

15:00

Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu

Group C

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Lesotho	3	2	0	1	5	4	+1	6	Advance to knockout stage
2	Angola	3	1	1	1	5	4	+1	4
3	Mozambique	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
4	Mauritius	3	1	0	2	1	3	−2	3

Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Mauritius	0–2	Lesotho
	Report	Mokhachane 15' Sera 90+2'

7 July 2023

15:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

Mozambique	1–1	Angola
António 83'	Report	Benarfa 3'

7 July 2023

18:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

---

Angola	0–1	Mauritius
	Report	François 8'

10 July 2023

15:00

Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu

Mozambique	0–1	Lesotho
	Report	Mokhachane 34'

10 July 2023

18:00

Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu

---

Angola	4–2	Lesotho
Cangue 20' Amor 29' Goncalves 50' Moseka 88'	Report	Makha 3' Mokokoane 44'

12 July 2023

15:00

Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban

Mauritius	0–1	Mozambique
	Report	Abudo 38'

12 July 2023

15:00

Princess Magogo Stadium, KwaMashu

Best Runner-up Table

Pos	Grp	Team	Pld	W	T	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	B	Zambia	3	2	0	1	6	4	+2	6	Advance to knockout stage
2	C	Angola	3	1	1	1	5	4	+1	4
3	A	Botswana	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	4

Source: COSAFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

Knockout stage

Semi-final matches where played on the 14 July 2023. The final and third-place matches where played two days later at the King Zwelithini Stadium.^[4]

Bracket

	Semi-Finals				Final
	14 Jul – Durban
	Malawi	1(0)
					16 Jul – Durban
	Lesotho (p)	1(3)
					Lesotho	0
	14 Jul – Durban
					Zambia	1
	South Africa	1
	Zambia	2
					Third-Place
					16 Jul - Durban
					Malawi	0(3)
					South Africa(p)	0(5)

Semi-finals

Malawi	1–1	Lesotho
Kaonga 26' (pen.)	Report	Thaba-Ntso 18'
Penalties
	0–3

14 July 2023

15:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

South Africa	1–2	Zambia
Mabasa 44'	Report	Mashata 50' Kangwanda 69'

14 July 2023

18:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

Third-place

Malawi	0–0	South Africa
	Report
Penalties
	3–5

16 July 2023

15:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

Final

Lesotho	0–1	Zambia
	Report	Libamba 78'

16 July 2023

18:00

King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 48 goals scored in 22 matches, for an average of 2.18 goals per match.

3 goals

• Tshegofatso Mabasa
• Albert Kangwanda

2 goals

• Affane Djambae
• Bongwa Matsebula
• Neo Mokhachane
• Chawanangwa Kaonga
• Golden Mashata
• Fredrick Mulambia

1 goal

• Moisés Amor
• Mankoka Afonso
• Cesar Cangue
• Emanuel Goncalves
• Osvaldo Moseka
• Lebogang Ditsele
• Thatayaone Kgamanyane
• Raidou Bacar
• Ibroihim Djoudja
• Sifiso Matse
• Tumelo Makha
• Rethabile Mokokoane
• Motebang Sera
• Marie Matthieu Aurélien François
• Christopher Jacama Kumwembe
• Patrick Mwaungulu
• Lanjesi Nkhoma
• Dayo António
• Ali Abudo
• Elmo Kambindu
• Absalom Iimbondi
• Brandon Labrosse
• Warren Mellie
• Rowan Human
• Shaune Mogaila
• Iqraam Rayners
• Killian Kanguluma
• Moyela Libamba

1 own goal

• Aaron Katebe (against Malawi)