Brave Gladiators win first Cosafa women’s title
Namibia’s Brave Gladiators made history by winning the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Women’s Championship for the first time yesterday after a 2-1 victory over hosts South Africa.
They overcome strong opponents in the knockout stages, including defending champions Zambia.
The final, held at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, saw Namibia edge South Africa for the title in extra time.
Nthabiseng Majiya opened the scoring for South Africa's Banyana Banyana, but Namibia’s Muhinatjo Hanavi equalised in the 54th minute.
The match went into extra time, where substitute Memory Ngonda struck in the 92nd minute from close range to seal the historic win.
Namibia’s path to glory was anything but easy. In the semi-finals, the Brave Gladiators stunned defending champions Zambia 1-0, with Juliana Blou scoring the decisive goal from a Zenatha Coleman assist.
They then faced a formidable South African side in the final, who are seven-time Cosafa champions and the record holders in the tournament.
Coleman, who was named player of the match in the final, reflected on her role: "We knew it was going to be tough, so staying compact in midfield and organised at the back was key. Thanks to the team and the goal, I’m so proud of everyone. After playing Cosafa for so many years, finally winning like this feels amazing.”
This is Namibia’s second appearance in a Cosafa final, the first being in 2006, also against South Africa, where they lost 3-1
Recent campaigns had shown steady improvement: in 2022, Namibia reached the semi-finals but fell 1-0 to South Africa, followed by a 2-1 defeat to Tanzania in the third-place play-off.
Head coach Lucky Kakuva acknowledged the challenges early in the final but praised his team’s tactical adjustments: “We struggled during the early phases of the match, but we adapted. After going a goal down, we brought on an extra offensive midfielder and adjusted our formation, which paid off. Within the first few minutes of the second half, we began to control the ball. What a win for Namibia, and I’m happy to be part of this historic moment.”
Zambia, meanwhile, were back-to-back winners in 2022 and 2024, claiming their third consecutive final appearance in 2024. South Africa last lifted the trophy in 2020.
Namibia’s victory signals a new era for women’s football in the country, as the Brave Gladiators finally lift the Cosafa crown after years of near misses.
