COSAFA profiles Zesco Girls ahead of Champions League

The CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier Botswana 2026 will be played in Gaborone from August 20-29. There are eight teams competing this year as they all seek the single place reserved for the winners at the CAF Women’s Champions League continental finals. Here is…

The CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier Botswana 2026 will be played in Gaborone from August 20-29.

There are eight teams competing this year as they all seek the single place reserved for the winners at the CAF Women’s Champions League continental finals.

Here is profile of last year’s runners-up ZESCO United Girls.

ZESCO Ndola Girls return to the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier in Gaborone with unfinished business after coming agonisingly close to the regional title on their tournament debut in 2025.

The Ndola-based side were one of the revelations of last year’s competition in Johannesburg, reaching the final before losing 4-3 on penalties to Gaborone United Ladies after a 1-1 draw.

They return as back-to-back Zambia Women’s Super League champions and will hope to go one better and become the second Zambian club after Green Buffaloes in 2022 to win the regional crown.

ZESCO’s rise has been impressive. They broke Green Buffaloes’ four-year grip on the Zambian championship when they claimed their maiden league title in 2024/25, going through the entire 34-game campaign unbeaten with 31 victories and three draws.

Penelope Mulubwa led their charge with an extraordinary 35 league goals. They successfully defended that title in 2025/26, sealing back-to-back championships with a 7-0 victory over Luyando Foundation Girls in May that took them to an unassailable 85 points.

Their first taste of the COSAFA qualifier in 2025 proved equally impressive. ZESCO opened with a 3-0 victory over Namibia’s Beauties FC before suffering a narrow 1-0 loss to two-time champions Mamelodi Sundowns.

They then beat Malawi’s Ntopwa FC 5-3 to advance to the semi-finals as the best runners-up. That set up a rematch with Sundowns, where the Zambian champions produced one of the tournament’s biggest shocks.

ZESCO defeated the South African giants 2-1 to book their place in the final and hand Sundowns what remains their only defeat in ordinary time in the history of the COSAFA qualifiers.

They came within moments of lifting the trophy against Gaborone United.

An own goal from Jackline Chomba gave the Botswana side the lead just before halftime, but Fridah Kabwe headed home a dramatic late equaliser after a long-range effort had struck the crossbar.

With the score still 1-1 after extra-time, Gaborone United prevailed 4-3 in the penalty shoot-out to deny ZESCO a place at the continental finals.

They will have an immediate opportunity for revenge in Gaborone after being drawn in a difficult Group A alongside defending champions and hosts Gaborone United, Zimbabwe’s Herentals Queens and Lesotho Defence Force.

ZESCO have prepared extensively for their second regional campaign, including a training camp in Dar es Salaam with friendly matches against Tanzanian heavyweights JKT Queens and Simba Queens.

Their squad also contains players with senior international experience, including captain Chitundu, Phiri and goalkeeper Hazel Nali, who were involved with Zambia’s Copper Queens at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026.

(By COSAFA Media)