In this edition of the COSAFA Show, we chat to former Botswana international Dipsy Selolwane about football development ahead of the CAF African Schools Football Championship | COSAFA Qualifier that starts in Stellenbosch on Friday.

We also get fascinating insights from renowned football performance analyst Musi Matlaba, who has worked at some of the biggest clubs on the continent and is among the finest in his field.

He breaks down the work of an analyst and what goes into preparing teams for a match in an interview not to be missed.

But first, Selolwane gives us his insights into school football on the continent and the academy he is running in Gaborone, which could prove a game-changer for aspiring players in Botswana.

In the second segment, Matlaba, who has worked for the likes of Mamelodi Sundowns and Al Ahly in Africa, as well as several teams in the Middle East in the role of football performance analyst, offers an intriguing perspective on how teams are using data to prepare for matches.

As we gear up for the CAF African Schools Football Championship | COSAFA Qualifier in Stellenbosch from December 5-7, we shine a spotlight on youth development and pathways in national teams for young players.

Renowned development coach Shawn Bishop, who is currently at Belgian champions Union St Gilloise, will speak at the upcoming COSAFA High Performance & Coaching Seminar Series, an online platform for Member Associations to engage on various development topics.

Bishop will present on ‘National Team Pathways & Modern Football Trends’, and the CAF African Schools Football Championship is the very start of the journey in international football for Boys and Girls who take part in the Under-15 competition.

Their journey from here will hopefully take them through Under-17 and Under-20 national teams, to the senior international level.

Bishop shares his insights on development in the COSAFA region, what is our potential and how Member Associations can upgrade their development initiatives to make them more competitive in the future.

On this week’s COSAFA Show podcast, we have a tale of two coaches, one who has led his team to the FIFA World Cup next year, and another who is looking to upset the odds and get to the continental championship. Namibia coach Lucky Kakuva will be proud of the fight his side showed as they lost 4-2 to powerhouse COSAFA rivals Zambia on Wednesday.

But they now face an uphill battle in the second leg in Ndola to try and work their way back into the tie. The winner will advance to the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026, which will be played next March and April

That tournament will produce the four teams from Africa that will compete at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil in 2027.

One man who has already steered his side to the global finals is South Africa men’s coach Hugo Broos, who will be present at the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. It was not plain sailing for Bafana Bafana, but he offers his thoughts on qualifying out of a group that also contained Nigeria.