ZESCO Ndola Girls have continued their impressive campaign at the 2026 COSAFA CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers after completing the group stage with a perfect record.
The Zambian champions defeated Gaborone Ladies 2-0 to finish top of Group A with nine points and book their place in the semi-finals.
The victory means ZESCO have won all three of their group matches, following earlier triumphs over Herentals Queens and Lesotho Defence Force.
They began the campaign with a convincing 5-2 victory against Herentals before edging Lesotho Defence Force 1-0.
ZESCO avenge last year’s disappointment
The latest victory also provided some measure of revenge for ZESCO Ndola Girls after their painful experience against Gaborone United in last year’s final.
ZESCO lost that encounter 4-3 on penalties, missing out on the COSAFA title and the opportunity to progress to the CAF Women’s Champions League.
This time, the Zambian champions will be hoping to go all the way and secure their first-ever qualification for the continental competition.
They will now await the conclusion of Group B to discover their semi-final opponents.
Group B race goes down to the wire
The remaining semi-final places in Group B will be decided at Gaborone United Stadium.
Silver Strikers of Malawi will face Eswatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs before two-time African champions Mamelodi Sundowns take on Mozambique’s Costa do Sol.
Sundowns currently lead the group with six points and need just a draw to secure qualification for the last four.
Silver Strikers and Costa do Sol are both on three points, while Nsingizini Hotspurs remain in contention despite losing their opening two matches.
Silver Strikers would progress with a win if Sundowns avoid defeat, while a draw could also be enough for the Malawian side depending on the result of the other match.
Costa do Sol, meanwhile, know that victory over Sundowns would put them in a strong position to qualify, while a draw would only keep their hopes alive if Silver Strikers suffer defeat.
Nsingizini Hotspurs face the most difficult route. They must beat Silver Strikers by a sizeable margin and hope Sundowns defeat Costa do Sol, potentially creating a three-way tie that would be settled by the competition’s tiebreaking criteria.
For ZESCO Ndola Girls, the focus now shifts to the semi-finals as they continue their pursuit of a historic COSAFA title and a maiden place in the CAF Women’s Champions League.
