Erasmus Shalihaxwe
National football head coach Collin Benjamin says the COSAFA Cup has evolved and is no longer a developmental tournament.
He made these remarks over the weekend while preparing the Brave Warriors for the upcoming COSAFA Cup, set to take place in South Africa from 4 to 15 June 2025.
“In the past, some countries used to select their B teams to compete at the tournament. That has changed now, as most countries are looking at winning the tournament, while the tournament also provides a platform for teams to prepare for World Cup qualifying games later this year,” he said.
Benjamin pointed out that countries such as Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Morocco, and Angola are now bringing their top players to the event.
“Because the coaches are aware that it is a good platform to prepare their teams, you get to play like five to six games and prepare your team thoroughly. So, in my opinion, this is one of the best tournaments in southern Africa, and on our side as Namibians, we are going to stir things up. I just hope my player comes back from club football injury free,” he said.
Namibia is in Group B alongside Angola, Malawi, and Lesotho. The team’s first match will be on Thursday, 5 June 2025, against Angola.
Benjamin said his goal is to take the team to the final and win, but he knows it won’t be straightforward.
“There is always pressure to win; we want to go all the way, but that is not going to be easy, and we all know that. But the positivity about our group is that we have four teams, and that is good, as it guarantees us three games, but our opponents also want to win,” he said.
Namibia last won the tournament in 2015 under then-head coach Ricardo Mannetti, beating Mozambique 2–0 in the final. The team also reached the final last year but lost to Angola.
