Technical Study Groups (TSGs) are becoming a vital and valued part of coaching as they look beyond the scorelines to examine trends, tactics, player development and the bigger lessons the game is teaching us.

In Africa, and very much the COSAFA region too, that role has become increasingly important as the continent’s football continues to evolve at every level.

TSGs help federations, coaches and development structures understand not only what is happening in major competitions, but why it is happening.

They turn matches into learning tools and provide insight that can influence everything from youth development to senior national team performance.

In this episode of The COSAFA Show, we take a closer look at the value of TSGs, with a special focus on the Southern African region, by talking to the people involved in them.

Namibia made history with a maiden title at the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship 2025 after they defeated hosts South Africa 2-1 in the final in Polokwane on Sunday.

It was a solid campaign throughout from Namibia, who got their revenge some 20 years after South Africa beat them in the 2006 decider.

All teams would have taken much from the tournament, where they were able to fine-tune their squads and look at players who might previously have been on the fringes of selection.

On this episode of the COSAFA Show, we hear from victorious Namibia coach Lesley Kavuka and South Africa’s Dr Desiree Ellis as they assess the final, and the campaign as a whole.

The draw is compete for the HOLLYWOODBETS COSAFA Women’s Championship 2025 that will be staged in Polokwane from February 18 to March 1, where Zambia will look to defend their regional title.

They will face competition from the likes of host South Africa and Malawi, with the trio also using the tournament to build towards the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 that is scheduled to kick-off in March.

We hear from Zambia coach Nora Hauptle about her preparations for both competitions.

We also get the view of FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger on the trends seen at the recent TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.

On a similar theme, we also hear from former Banyana Banyana captain Amanda Dlamini for her thoughts on the tournament, where she was working as a television analyst.

The 2026 COSAFA Women’s Championship takes centre stage in South Africa from 18 February to 1 March, and The COSAFA Show is right at the heart of the conversation.

With the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 fast approaching, the tournament could hardly come at a better time, offering the region’s leading sides the perfect competitive platform to prepare.

For South Africa, Zambia and Malawi, it is a vital opportunity to sharpen their edge and build momentum ahead of a demanding continental campaign.

The TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON will be staged in Morocco from 17 March to 3 April, with far more than continental pride on the line.

The tournament also serves as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, raising the stakes significantly for teams with global ambitions. For the three COSAFA representatives, this regional championship is not just preparation, it marks the beginning of a challenging journey toward the global finals.

In this episode of The COSAFA Show Podcast, we unpack why the COSAFA Women’s Championship has become such a crucial fixture on the women’s football calendar and what it means for player development, competitiveness and confidence heading into TotalEnergies CAF WAFCON.

We are joined by COSAFA Executive Director Sue Destombes, who shares insight into the vision behind the tournament, its growing impact in the region, and what else is in the pipeline for COSAFA women’s football in 2026 and beyond.

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.

The TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2026 | COSAFA Qualifiers were recently staged in Harare, Zimbabwe to full stadiums and an incredible atmosphere. Stands were packed at the Ngoni Stadium despite the host nation going out in the group stages, and it was a reminder again, if one was needed, just what a football-loving country Zimbabwe is.

South Africa took home the trophy for a record-equaling fourth time, drawing them level with Zambia on the all-time list, with a squad that was put together just days before the tournament started.

They qualify for the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2026, along with runners-up Angola and Mozambique, who took the bronze medal. The trio will represent the COSAFA region on the continental stage and we hope will be three of the 10 African nations who will qualify for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Qatar next year.

We will hear from all three of their coaches, starting with South Africa’s Vela Khumalo, who had just a few training sessions to get his side ready for competition.

Angola coach Mario Catala was disappointed his side could only take home the silver medal despite an excellent run to the final in which they scored 18 goals in four games and did not conceded a single one. But his pre-tournament aim was also to qualify for the continental finals, and that was achieved.

Mozambique coach Luis Guerreiro had to settle for the bronze medal but he too can look forward to a place in the continental finals after the Young Mambas beat Comoros 3-0 in the third-place play-off.