COSAFA Awards See Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Sweep 2026 Individual Honours

Source: @Mamelodi Sundowns FC Ladies

Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies turned a dominant team performance into a clean sweep of the leading individual honours at the 2026 COSAFA Women’s Champions League Qualifier in Gaborone, Botswana.

The Brazilians collected the Player of the Tournament, Golden Boot and Golden Glove awards after winning all five of their matches and scoring 22 goals. Their only blemish was conceding once, in the final against Zambia’s ZESCO Ndola Girls, which further underlined how complete their campaign was.

The COSAFA Awards recognise outstanding performances across Southern African football, with players, coaches and match officials among those honoured through the annual awards programme.

Sundowns had quality across every area

Karabo Dhlamini was named Player of the Tournament after producing a series of influential displays in midfield. Her two goals against Malawi’s Silver Strikers were particularly decisive in a 3-0 victory that gave Sundowns control of their group campaign.

Refilwe Tholakele claimed the Golden Boot with seven goals, and her scoring record tells only part of the story. She scored twice in the 5-0 semi-final victory over hosts Gaborone United Ladies before producing the defining performance in the final.

Tholakele scored both Sundowns goals in their 2-1 victory over ZESCO Ndola Girls, securing the club’s third COSAFA Women’s Champions League qualifying title and another place in the CAF Women’s Champions League.

Andile Dlamini completed the individual sweep by taking the Golden Glove. Her award reflected a defensive unit that conceded just once across five matches, with Sundowns keeping clean sheets in four games.

The route to the title also showed why the individual awards were spread across different positions. Sundowns opened with an 8-0 demolition of Nsingizini Hotspurs, followed by the 3-0 win over Silver Strikers. They then beat Mozambique’s Costa do Sol 4-1 before dismantling Gaborone United Ladies 5-0 in the semi-final.

Across those four matches alone, Sundowns scored 20 goals without conceding. The final demanded more resilience, but they found a way through after Tholakele’s two goals settled the contest.

The Fair Play Award went to ZESCO Ndola Girls, providing recognition beyond the title-winning side and rounding off the tournament’s major honours.

For Sundowns, the COSAFA Awards offered individual recognition for a campaign built on collective strength. Dhlamini’s midfield influence, Tholakele’s finishing and Dlamini’s goalkeeping each represented a different part of a side that controlled matches at both ends of the pitch.

COSAFA Awards winners