Silver Strikers Ladies FC have lauded Confederation of African Football (CAF) for shifting the Women’s Champions League Cosafa Qualifying Tournament, saying it will enable them have a full squad.
Initially, the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) said the tournament would be held from August 6 to 15 in Gabotone, Botswana, but in a statement released yesterday, the regional football governing body announced that it has been rescheduled to August 20-29.
In an interview yesterday, the Bankers chief executive officer Patrick Chimimba revealed that prior to the shift, they took up the issue with Football Association of Malawi (FAM) as the dates crashed with the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) which will run from July 25 to August 15 in Morocco.
He said: “Had the dates been maintained, we would have found ourselves in a tight spot as it meant competing without five of our key players who are part of the Scorchers’ Wafcon squad.
“The change , therefore, comes as a relief as will have a full squad.”
Chimimba also said the shift will give them more time to prepare for the tournament.
He further said their preparations are on track.
Said Chimimba: “We believe the change will help us despite the delay to kick off the domestic [Women’s Premiership] league.
“Our preparations have already gathered momentum because the team has been training for nine weeks now, including one week residential camp.”
The team’s coach Andrew ‘Aluki’ Chikhosi also expressed delight at the changes.
“It could have been tight for us and the changes suit our wishes as we will have ample time to prepare,” he said.
Chikhosi also said they plan to play one or two friendlies against a team from Chipata, Zambia to give their players international exposure.
Silver Ladies will be participating at the tournament for the first time after winning the inaugural 2025 National Bank of Malawi Women’s Premier League.
Meanwhile, Cosafa has said the draw for the competition will be held on July 21, when the competing sides will learn their fate.
“The final line-up will be confirmed after the CAF deadline of Wednesday, July 15, for member associations to submit clubs’ licensing documentation in accordance with the club licensing regulations,” reads a statement from Cosafa.
The victorious team at the Cosafa Qualifier will advance to the continental finals, which are scheduled for later this year.
Gaborone United are the current Cosafa champions after lifting the title in 2025.
