Leading scorers in past five HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championships
The HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship 2025 will be played from February 18–March 1, when the best of the region’s talent will gather in the hope of lifting the prestigious trophy.
The tournament has become a hugely popular fixture on the COSAFA calendar, not least for the quality of the football, but also the entertainment value, with some star names lighting up the competition and going on to shine on the global stage.
We look back at the leading scorers from the last five editions.
2020 – SIBULELE HOLWENI (SOUTH AFRICA) – 8 GOALS
South Africa claimed the last of their record seven regional titles at the 2020 COSAFA Women’s Championship, though on this occasion without many of their established stars. But that allowed new names to emerge and one of those was Holweni, who caught the eye with her clinical touch in the box.
After scoring in a 5-0 win over Eswatini, she grabbed five goals in a 7-0 victory over Comoros. She continued that form in the knockout stages with goals against Malawi and Botswana respectively in the semi-finals and final.
Holweni plays for the University of the Western Cape and remains a fixture in the national team.
2021 – SIBULELE HOLWENI (SOUTH AFRICA) – 5 GOALS
Holweni repeated her feat of winning the Golden Boot, though this time she managed five goals, which is still not bad for a player who now regularly turns out at left-back.
She grabbed a brace in a 3-1 win over Mozambique in the pool stages, before getting another two in the 3-2 semi-final loss to Malawi. That put South Africa in the bronze-medal match against Zambia and Holweni was on target again, though Banyana Banyana ultimately lost on penalties as she missed the vital kick.
Still only 24, she has a long international career ahead of her and will likely be a key player for Banyana Banyana, having featured at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The former Under-17 national team captain recently helped the University of the Western Cape win the CAF Women’s Champions League | COSAFA Qualifier and book a place at the continental finals.
2022 – BARBRA BANDA (ZAMBIA) – 10 GOALS
Zambia’s goalscoring machine helped the Copper Queens to their maiden COSAFA title by scoring in the final against South Africa in 2022, one of 10 strikes in the competition.
That was double the number of anyone else as Banda dominated defences and has become a global star too after two hat-tricks at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and netting in Zambia’s 3-1 victory over Costa Rica at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
She scored a brace against Namibia at the 2022 regional finals and followed that up with five goals in the 7-0 success against Lesotho. Banda added one more in the 2-0 victory over Eswatini. She netted again in the 2-1 semi-final win over Tanzania before her winner in extra time of the final against South Africa, sealing the unique achievement of having scored in every game of the competition.
She was the first African player to be included in the prestigious FIFPRO Women’s World XI in 2024. Still only 25, she is currently playing for Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and has been a huge hit at the club.
2023 – TEMWA CHAWINGA (MALAWI) – 9 GOALS
Chawinga helped Malawi to their maiden title as she dominated the scoring charts in the 2023 competition, netting nine times, almost double the next highest player.
She has since gone on to be a star in the NWSL with Kansas City, and broke the record for the most goals scored in a single season in the competition’s history when she netted 20 in 2024, announcing herself as a global star. She was named the NWSL’s most valuable player in both 2024 and 2025, winning the Golden Boot in both years.
She showed all of that potential in the 2023 COSAFA Women’s Championship as she scored a hat-trick in the epic 4-3 win over South Africa in the pool stages and got four more in an 8-0 win over Eswatini. Chawinga scored twice in the 3-1 semi-final win over Mozambique to help her side into the decider, where they beat defending champions Zambia 2-1.
At the age of 27, she is still a player with much growth in her in the coming years.
2024 – OCHUMBA LUBANDJI & FRIDAH MUKOMA (ZAMBIA) – 4 GOALS EACH
The Zambian pair of Lubandji and Mukoma shared the Golden Boot in the last edition as they scored four goals each in helping the Copper Queens to a second regional title.
Lubandji netted in the 3-0 group-stage win over Angola, and then got two as Zambia thumped Comoros 7-0. Her fourth goal was in the 2-0 semi-final win over Malawi.
Mukoma also scored in that last-four clash to go with a hat-trick against Comoros.
Lubandji made two substitute appearances at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and featured at the Olympic Games in Tokyo and Paris.
Mukoma moved overseas to Beijing FC in China before a transfer to Kansas City Current and then a loan back with Beijing. Still only 19 years old, she has a big future in the game.