Lesotho drawn in COSAFA Cup Group B

Lesotho ready to celebrate...

Lesotho has been drawn in Group B of the 2016 COSAFA Castle Cup slated for June 11 to 25 in Namibia. The draw was conducted yesterday in Johannesburg, South Africa. Likuena will be up against Malawi, Angola and Mauritius and only the group winner will advance to the quarterfinals.

If Likuena progress from the group they will face South Africa in the quarters.

In Group A, four-time champions Zimbabwe will face Swaziland, Seychelles and Madagascar.

The first round pool stage will be staged in the first week of the tournament. The championship will then move to a knockout phase with the quarterfinal losers dropping to the Plate competition which was first introduced in 2013. Malawi is the defending champions of the Plate competition.

Holders and hosts Namibia begin the defence of their title with a quarterfinal tie against Botswana while Zambia and South Africa will play the winners of first round Group A and B respectively.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will make its COSAFA Castle Cup debut as a guest nation. DRC is the highest ranked team at the tournament and is one of the top six sides that were given a bye into the quarterfinals.

They will face Mozambique in the last eight.

“We look forward to welcoming the 13 other competing nations and, of course, to defending the trophy we won in South Africa 12 months ago,” Barry Rukoro, secretary general of the Namibia Football Association, said.

Likuena caretaker coach Moses Maliehe has already selected a 24-man squad in preparation for the tournament.

Lesotho’s best performances at the COSAFA Cup came in 2013 when it reached the semi-finals and in 2000 when Likuena lost to Zimbabwe in the final.

2016 COSAFA Cup Draw

Pool Phase

Group A

Zimbabwe

Swaziland 

Seychelles

Madagascar

Group B

Malawi 

Angola

Lesotho

Mauritius 

Quarterfinal Draw 

South Africa v Winner Group B

Botswana v Namibia

Zambia v Winner Group A

DR Congo v Mozambique