The COSAFA Women’s Champions League 2025 will be staged in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 22-31 where the battle for the title of regional queens will be fought. There will be a record 10 clubs competing this year and here is a quick run-down of the major criteria you need to remember.
THE FORMAT
The 10 teams have been drawn into three groups, one with four sides and two with three teams each. They will meet in a round-robin format, earning three points for a win and one for a draw. The top side in each pool advances to the semifinals, along with the best runner-up from across the three pools. The results for the team that finishes bottom in the four-team Group A will not count towards that calculation.
Only the winners of the COSAFA Women’s Champions League will earn a place at the CAF Womens Champions League.
DECIDING GROUP PLACES
Should two teams finish on the same number of points in the pool phase, they will be separated by the result of their head-to-head meetings in the first instance. If this does not provide a conclusion, the next criteria will be goal difference resulting from all group matches and then greater number of goals scored in all the group matches.
If there is still no clear winner, then a Fair Play points system in which the number of yellow and red cards are evaluated will be used. Failing that there will be the drawing of lots.
DECIDING THE BEST RUNNER-UP
The best second-placed team will be determined from the runners-up in each group based on the following criteria, applied in order: the highest number of points earned in the group matches, followed by superior goal difference, the highest number of goals scored in those matches, and then Fair Play Points.
FAIR PLAY
The Fair Play System works as follows. Clubs will get one point for each yellow card shown to a player in the group matches. They will get two points for every red card. Where a player receives a red card in a match, any yellow card received in the same match will not be counted. If this criteria is needed to separate two teams on the table, the club with the fewest points holds the advantage.
KNOCKOUT STAGE
The winner of Group B will take on the Winner of Group C in the semifinals, while the winner of Group A takes on the Best Runner-Up. There will be no extra-time in any of the knockout games and all matches will go straight to penalties if tied at the end of 90 minutes.
SUSPENSIONS
If a player receives two yellow cards in the tournament, they will be suspended for one match. However, bookings picked up in the group phase fall away ahead of the knockout phase, unless they receive two yellows in the final pool stage game, in which case the suspension is carried over. If a player receives a red card in a game, he will also serve a one-match suspension. If a player received two red cards in the
tournament, they will be suspended for the remainder of the competition and play no further part.
SUBSTITUTES
Teams may make up to five substitutions in a game, though these must be limited to three separate occasions within the match (not including halftime). A maximum of 9 substitutes are permitted on the bench.