SITSEBE PREP FOR W. CUP QUALIFIERS

MBABANE – The country’s women national teams and Manzini Wanderers Ladies have no choice but to spring into action.

After going for over a year without competition due to COVID-19 as the country’s women football league season 2020/21 failed to take off, it follows that inaugural COSAFA and CAF Women’s Champions League participants Wanderers Ladies and national teams like the under-20s and senior squad, Sitsebe go into international competitions without any preparatory competition. Wanderers play in the COSAFA Cup as of August 26 and the tournament runs until September 4 with its champions earning the ticket to represent southern Africa in the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League. They start off against Double Action Ladies from Botswana and will also face South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns among their group A matches. The national under-20 squad, which is already in camp, starts its Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2022 Qualifiers this weekend against Mozambique in a two-legged fixture to be played home and away.

They will play host this Saturday before the return leg away in Maputo, Mozambique on the weekend of August 28/29. The winner here will meet South Africa in the second round on the weekend of September 25/26 for first leg, while the second-leg is scheduled for October 9/10. The winner goes on to the next round but it is after five rounds that the champions and runners-up will be determined and proceed to represent Africa in the World Cup. For the senior squad, it has been established that they had been partially preparing for the upcoming tasks which are the COSAFA Senior Women Championship and AFCON/World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.

Camp

“As the tournaments draw near, the senior squad will also engage another gear and go to full-time camp ahead of the COSAFA Cup which so far starts on September 9 to 19 and the October AFCON/World Cup Qualifier against Zimbabwe,” said Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi Radebe. He said the senior squad had been having some sessions for two to three days per week in anticipation of these tournaments. The final four countries standing in the qualifiers will earn tickets to the AFCON Finals and the World Cup. He further explained that the winner between Sitsebe and Zimbabwe would face the winner between neighbours South Africa and Mozambique while the World Cup is set for New Zealand and Australia next year. Meanwhile, the COSAFA Cup draw is yet to be held.

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