The Zimbabwe senior women national football team, the Mighty Warriors left the country today ahead of the ninth edition of the COSAFA Women’s Champions at Nelson Mandela Bay in South Africa.
The 20 players and the technical team left Harare this afternoon and will be looking to end South Africa’s dominance in the regional competition.
South Africa’s Banyana Banyana are bidding to win the tournament for the fifth time in a row.
The hosts have won the Cosafa Women’s Championship seven times while the Mighty Warriors claimed the coveted regional title on home soil in 2011.
The teams are divided into three groups of four with the top team from each group progressing to the semi-finals alongside the best-placed runners-up.
Zimbabwe is placed in Group B with Botswana, Tanzania and guests, South Sudan.
The Mighty Warriors are looking to put behind them the dismal showing in the last edition when they were eliminated without a point and a goal from a group that also featured Botswana and Tanzania.
“We have selected a more experienced side, and we have players who have seen some action recently so that should help us a lot,”
In last year’s edition, the team was dominated by under 20 players but this time around the technical department has opted for experience.
The likes of defenders Eunice Chibanda and Sheila Makoto, midfielder Marjoury Nyaumwe, and Mavis Chirandu, captain Emmaculate Msipa as well as strikers Rutendo Makore and Rudo Neshamba are all in the squad.
Hosts, South Africa get the ball rolling with a date against Malawi this Tuesday, while the Mighty Warriors will be in action on Wednesday against Tanzania.
Botswana will be up against South Sudan on the same day.
ZBC