The Zambia national football team will today learn its opponents in the upcoming 2024 COSAFA Cup tournament.
COSAFA announced yesterday that the draw for the tournament will be on Friday, June 14, at 11:00 hours and will be streamed live on the Southern African regional football body’s online platforms.
The tournament is scheduled for June 26 to July 7 in South Africa.
“The dates have been set for the 2024 COSAFA CUP, which will retain last year’s exciting format when it is staged in South Africa from 26 June to 7 July, with the group stage draw to be held on Friday at 11h00 (CAT). The draw will be streamed live on the COSAFA Facebook and YouTube pages,” COSAFA’s statement reads.
Chipolopolo, the defending champion, is expected to be among the three top-seeded teams to enter the competition at the semi-final stage.
“The format will again see 12 teams take part, split into three groups of four sides, with the three pool winners and the best runner-up advancing to the semifinals.
The hosts, South Africa, last year’s winners Zambia and Angola, and the next best-placed side according to the FIFA World Rankings, will be the three-seeded teams.
Meanwhile, COSAFA has confirmed the decision by Madagascar and Mauritius to withdraw their participation from the tournament.
“Madagascar and Mauritius are the two COSAFA nations who have opted not to compete in 2024.”
Most of the participants will use the 2024 COSAFA Cup to gear up for the 2024 African Nations Championship (CHAN) and the Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which start in September.
Chipolopolo successfully defended the COSAFA Cup title last year after edging Lesotho 1-0, extending their triumphs at the regional tournament to a record seven times.
