Reviewed by Aaron Mubanga JnrZambia sports betting writer
Published 25 August 2026
ZESCO Ndola Girls have reached the semi finals of the CAF Women’s Champions League COSAFA qualifier in Botswana, winning Group A unbeaten with nine points from three matches.
The Zambian champions opened the tournament by beating Herentals Queens of Zimbabwe by five goals to two, then took a tighter win over Lesotho Defence Force by one goal to nil. Eneless Phiri scored the goal that settled the second match, close to the interval. They closed the group by beating hosts and defending champions Gaborone United Ladies by two goals to nil on Monday 24 August, which took them to nine points and first place. All of the qualifier is being played at Gaborone United Stadium.
Two very different wins
Seven goals in one match and a single goal in the next tells you something useful about this squad. ZESCO can score heavily when an opponent leaves space, and the Herentals game gave them that. Lesotho Defence Force did not, and the Zambians still found a way through and then kept a clean sheet, which they had not managed in the opening game.
Hosts and defending champions Gaborone United Ladies came through the same group, so the two strongest sides in Group A both go on. For Zambian women’s football, a second run to the last four in this competition matters more than the margin of any single result. The domestic women’s game here still runs on small budgets and short seasons, and continental minutes are the scarcest thing in it.
What has not been confirmed
Group A is now settled. The semi final line up is not. The COSAFA release says the Group A winners meet the winners of Group B, Zambian reporting expects the runners up instead, and Group B had not finished when this page was updated, so AXN Sports is not naming an opponent or a date. The scorers in the Gaborone United match appear only in the COSAFA release, so they are not on this page either. Both go up once two independent sources carry them.
Where to bet: continental women’s club football is priced thinly in Zambia, so on a COSAFA qualifier expect match result and over and under rather than the deeper menus you get on the Super League or the European leagues. Betway and Premierbet, both licensed by the Gaming Regulatory Board, carry the markets in kwacha, with deposits through MTN, Airtel and Zamtel money. Prices on a tournament played over a fortnight in one venue move on team news rather than form, so the line you see two days out is often not the line at kick off. Our guide to the best betting sites in Zambia covers licensing and withdrawal times, and there is more in Zambia soccer news. 18+. Gamble responsibly.
