As we gear up for the CAF African Schools Football Championship | COSAFA Qualifier in Stellenbosch from December 5-7, we shine a spotlight on youth development and pathways in national teams for young players.

Renowned development coach Shawn Bishop, who is currently at Belgian champions Union St Gilloise, will speak at the upcoming COSAFA High Performance & Coaching Seminar Series, an online platform for Member Associations to engage on various development topics.

Bishop will present on ‘National Team Pathways & Modern Football Trends’, and the CAF African Schools Football Championship is the very start of the journey in international football for Boys and Girls who take part in the Under-15 competition.

Their journey from here will hopefully take them through Under-17 and Under-20 national teams, to the senior international level.

Bishop shares his insights on development in the COSAFA region, what is our potential and how Member Associations can upgrade their development initiatives to make them more competitive in the future.

On this week’s COSAFA Show podcast, we have a tale of two coaches, one who has led his team to the FIFA World Cup next year, and another who is looking to upset the odds and get to the continental championship. Namibia coach Lucky Kakuva will be proud of the fight his side showed as they lost 4-2 to powerhouse COSAFA rivals Zambia on Wednesday.

But they now face an uphill battle in the second leg in Ndola to try and work their way back into the tie. The winner will advance to the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026, which will be played next March and April

That tournament will produce the four teams from Africa that will compete at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil in 2027.

One man who has already steered his side to the global finals is South Africa men’s coach Hugo Broos, who will be present at the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. It was not plain sailing for Bafana Bafana, but he offers his thoughts on qualifying out of a group that also contained Nigeria.

The TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2026 | COSAFA Qualifiers were recently staged in Harare, Zimbabwe to full stadiums and an incredible atmosphere. Stands were packed at the Ngoni Stadium despite the host nation going out in the group stages, and it was a reminder again, if one was needed, just what a football-loving country Zimbabwe is.

South Africa took home the trophy for a record-equaling fourth time, drawing them level with Zambia on the all-time list, with a squad that was put together just days before the tournament started.

They qualify for the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2026, along with runners-up Angola and Mozambique, who took the bronze medal. The trio will represent the COSAFA region on the continental stage and we hope will be three of the 10 African nations who will qualify for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar next year.

We will hear from all three of their coaches, starting with South Africa’s Vela Khumalo, who had just a few training sessions to get his side ready for competition.

Angola coach Mario Catala was disappointed his side could only take home the silver medal despite an excellent run to the final in which they scored 18 goals in four games and did not conceded a single one. But his pre-tournament aim was also to qualify for the continental finals, and that was achieved.

Mozambique coach Luis Guerreiro had to settle for the bronze medal but he too can look forward to a place in the continental finals after the Young Mambas beat Comoros 3-0 in the third-place play-off.

We have a varied COSAFA Show for you this week, taking in a top striker, a women’s football coach on the rise and the aftermath of the of the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025 | COSAFA Qualifiers that were won by Gaborone United Ladies FC.

Namibia’s hot-shot striker Peter Shalulile recently reached a major milestone when he became the most prolific goal-scorer in the 29-year history of South Africa’s Premier Soccer League.

We hear from him on that record, getting Namibia to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and what the future might old.

Seychelles women’s coach Chris Yip-Au recently took part in the FIFA Elite Performance: Coaches’ Mentorship Program. She had experienced Australian tactician Vicki Linton as her mentor and tells us about that experience.

Gaborone United were crowned champions of the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025 | COSAFA Qualifiers this past weekend when they defeated ZESCO Ndola Girls in a thrilling penalty shoot-out in the final in Johannesburg.

Their victory sees them qualify for the continental finals and also makes up for defeat on penalties in the decider last year.

Their coach Khalid Niyonzima has masterminded their success and spoke after the final.

Zesco Ndola Girls had hoped to become the second Zambian winners of the regional title after Green Buffaloes in 2022 but fell just short. Their coach William Zulu tells us where it all went wrong.

On our special 100th edition of The COSAFA Show, a century of episodes that have taken you across the Southern African region and beyond over the last few years, we chat to former Namibia international Salome Iiyambo, who is the owner and coach of Beauties FC.

They are one of two teams that will debut at the expanded CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifiers to be played in Johannesburg from August 22-31.

Beauties are an historic club in Namibia but have been drawn into a tough pool at the regional championship that also includes two-time winners Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa, Ntopwa FC of Malawi and Zambia’s Zesco Ndola Girls.

Only the winner of the tournament advances to the continental finals and Iiyambo knows the task at hand for her side but says their appearance at the tournament is about a lot more than what happens on the pitch.

In this latest episode of The COSAFA Show, we look ahead to the quarterfinals of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco this week, and glance back at the Region 5 Games that were played in Windhoek.

Two of our COSAFA sides have advanced to the knockout rounds of the WAFCON competition, including defending champions South Africa, who face Senegal on Saturday. But before that, Zambia are in action against nine-time winners Nigeria on Friday in what will truly be a test of their championship credentials.

We will hear from both of their coaches ahead of the crunch knockout games.

Botswana narrowly missed out on a place in the quarterfinals despite a 2-1 win over Tunisia in their final Group B game but leave with their heads held high.

We also check in with the victorious South Africa men’s coach Vela Khumalo after they lifted the Region 5 Games crown, which served as the COSAFA championship in that age-group this year. Although an Under-20 competition, South Africa triumphed with an Under-17 selection as they prepare for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar later this year, making their achievement all the more impressive.

In this latest episode of The COSAFA Show we talk all things match officials and the Video Assistant Referee.

We discuss the VAR system that was implemented from the very first match at the recent HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Cup in Manguang.

COSAFA Referees manage Felix Tangawarima and COSAFA VAR Technician Ramy Gamal tell us how the system was put in place and the extensive plans they have for the region and beyond.

We speak to three referees from the COSAFA region who are off to the upcoming TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations that will be played in Morocco from July 5-26. They tell us about their journey.

A total of six match officials from the COSAFA region will do duty at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

We chat to three of them - Letticia Viana from Eswatini, Maria Rivet from Mauritius and Akhona Makalima from South Africa, as well as referees instructor Abdul Ebrahim.

In this latest episode of The COSAFA Show, where we chat to Angola coach Pedro Goncalves as he prepares to defend the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Cup title his side won in 2024 as they ended a 20-year wait for the trophy.

It is an incredibly busy six months for Palancas Negras as they compete in Mangaung from June 4-15, and also take part in the TotalEnergies CAF CHAN finals in August, and the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco at the end of the year.

Goncalves is currently the longest serving national team coach in African football having been in his post since 2019, and has worked in the country for the past decade.

He gives us insight into his team and the current state of Angolan football.

The development of women’s football in the COSAFA region in the last decade has been impressive, with opportunities on and off the pitch in be part of the Beautiful Game.

In our latest episode of The COSAFA Show, we have an interview with COSAFA Women’s Football Consultant Violet Jubane.

The timing is perfect with the COSAFA Under-17 Girls’ Championship on the horizon, as the next generation of the region’s female football stars will show their potential.

In the latest episode of The COSAFA Show we chat to Leah Sweetness Masango, leader of COSAFA’s vital Technical Study Group at the organisation’s tournaments.

COSAFA held a workshop for aspiring Technical Study Group members from across the Southern African region last week, and she fills us in on the details around that.

There were coaches, former players, technical directors and other stakeholders all present as a range of subjects were discussed.

Masango also tells us about her exciting future, which includes being selected as one of just two coaches from the African continent for a prestigious FIFA programme.

She has already been to Brazil and will be travelling to various other countries around the world as she builds her knowledge to bring back to the Southern African region.