ZESCO Ndola Girls missed out on the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA Qualifier 2026 title on Saturday evening after a 2-1 defeat to South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in the final.
It was a case of déjà vu for the Zambian champions, who were also losing finalists in last year’s COSAFA Qualifier.
Sundowns made a perfect start when Refilwe Tholakele opened the scoring in the 2nd minute.
ZESCO responded and fought back, equalizing deep in first-half stoppage time through Charity Mubanga to send the teams into the break locked at 1-1.
The second half turned on two key moments. The Ndola Girls suffered a huge blow when star midfielder Eneless Phiri was injured and replaced by Fridah Kabwe.
Then in the 64th minute, the referee awarded Sundowns a penalty after a VAR review confirmed a foul inside the ZESCO penalty area.
Tholakele stepped up and converted to score her second of the match and restore Sundowns’ lead.
ZESCO pushed for another equalizer but could not break down the South African defense.
ZESCO reached the final after edging Silver Strikers of Malawi 2-1 on Thursday.
Earlier in the tournament, the Ndola Girls topped Group A with 9 points from 3 wins.
The COSAFA Qualifier serves as the regional pathway for Southern African clubs to reach Africa’s premier women’s club competition — the CAF Women’s Champions League. With the win, Mamelodi Sundowns will represent the COSAFA region at the continental finals.
It was a heartbreaking end for ZESCO, who conceded a controversial late penalty to lose the regional crown for the second year running.
