Two-time African champions Mamelodi Sundowns put one foot in the semi-finals of the CAF Women’s Champions League Cosafa Qualifier Botswana 2026 with a 3-0 victory over Silver Strikers of Malawi in their Group B clash at the Gaborone United Stadium on Sunday.
Sundowns top the pool with six points from their two games, while Costa do Sol’s 3-1 victory over Nsingizini Hotspurs of Eswatini in the other match keeps the Mozambican side in the hunt.
Silver Strikers also have three points and are ahead of Costa do Sol on their head-to-head record, with Hotspurs yet to get off the mark but not mathematically out of the running. The top two teams in each pool advance to the semi-finals. Sundowns’ victory came via two spectacular goals from Karabo Dhlamini, the first a brilliant strike from 30 yards and the second a superb free kick. Isabella Ludwig’s header in the second half made it 3-0 as the 2021 and 2023 African champions eased to victory.
Costa do Sol claimed their win thanks to a brace from Lucia Moçambique and a third goal via Nadia Farranguana.
Lucia Gaonwe scored the first goal in the competition for Hotspurs, but it was not enough as they suffered a second defeat on their tournament debut.
Hotspurs must claim a sufficiently large win over Silver Strikers tomorrow and hope Sundowns beat Costa do Sol to leave all three sides on three points, with the relevant tiebreak criteria then deciding who advances.
Sundowns need only avoid defeat against Costa do Sol to guarantee their place in the semi-finals. The only scenario in which they could fail to advance is if they lose to the Mozambicans and Silver Strikers defeat Hotspurs, leaving three teams on six points and the tiebreak criteria to separate them.
