…as COSAFA women’s tourney is deferred
Leemisa Thuseho
THE women’s senior national football team, Mehalalitoe, has been dealt a major blow as it will end this year without any significant international competition.
This follows the postponement of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Women’s Championship.
COSAFA has informed all member associations of its decision to defer this year’s edition to early next year because no country came forward to host the tournament.
In a circular sent to members, COSAFA stated that it is engaging potential hosts to ensure the tournament takes place early next year.
“We regret to inform you that the COSAFA Women’s Championship 2025 has been postponed due to the current unavailability of a host,” read part of the statement.
“The tournament is foreseen to take place in the first quarter of 2026, with further details to be communicated in due course. COSAFA is currently engaging with potential hosts to ensure the successful delivery of this competition.”
The regional tournament, now set for early next year, will also serve as vital preparation for the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) Morocco 2026, scheduled from 17 March to 13 April 2026. WAFCON will act as the African qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The postponement is a huge setback for Mehalalitoe, who had already begun intensive preparations for the competition, having already started a non-residential training camp where they meet three times a week at Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena.
As part of their build-up to the COSAFA tournament, Mehalalitoe had also scheduled international friendlies, including two matches against Malawi in August and two friendly matches against South Africa in February this year.
COSAFA remains one of the most important annual tournaments for Mehalalitoe therefore its postponement means the national side will end 2025 without participating in any major official competition.
Contacted for comment, Mehalalitoe coach Shalane Lehohla, who admitted that COSAFA had been their main focus and that the team had been hard at work preparing, said they accepted the decision to postpone the tournament.
Looking at the brighter side, he described the postponement as a “blessing in disguise” as this gives him more time to prepare the team.
“We should not stress over situations beyond our control. We welcome the decision and look forward,” Shalane told the Lesotho Times yesterday.
“On the other hand, this has given us extra time to work on the team.”
With the tournament now rescheduled for next year and no confirmed date, he said the team has decided to suspend weekly sessions until January.
“Given our limited resources, we cannot continue intensive preparations without knowing the tournament date. Therefore, we have paused our non-residential camps and will resume early next year. The good news is that players will remain active with their clubs in the Women’s Super League.”
