ZIMBABWE women's football champions Herentals Queens will today learn whether they have secured their place at the 2026 CAF Women's Champions League COSAFA Qualifiers set for Botswana next month.
The regional tournament will be staged in Gaborone from August 20 to 29 and will determine the COSAFA representative at this year's CAF Women's Champions League finals.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) said member associations have until today to submit club licensing documentation in line with CAF Club Licensing Regulations before the final list of participating clubs is confirmed.
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Should Herentals Queens receive the green light, they will go into the official draw scheduled for July 21 where they will discover their group stage opponents and their route to the title.
Botswana will host the tournament as the home nation of defending champions Gaborone United, who lifted the 2025 Cosafa qualifiers title.
The hosts will be looking to retain the regional crown on home soil against some of Southern Africa's leading women's clubs.
"The official draw will take place on 21 July, when the participating clubs will discover their group stage opponents and route to the title," Caf said in a statement on Monday.
The Caf Women's Champions League Cosafa qualifiers have grown into one of the region's premier women's club competitions since the continental tournament was launched in 2021.
South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies won the inaugural Cosafa title in 2021 before going on to become the first Caf Women's Champions League champions from the region.
Zambia's Green Buffaloes lifted the trophy in 2022 before Botswana's Double Action Ladies emerged victorious in 2023.
South Africa's University of the Western Cape reclaimed the title in 2024, while Gaborone United made history in 2025 by becoming the second Botswana club to win the competition.
Herentals Queens will be hoping to emulate the success of the region's top clubs as they seek to become the first Zimbabwean side to qualify for the CAF Women's Champions League finals through the Cosafa route.
With a place at Africa's premier women's club competition at stake, another fiercely contested tournament is expected in Gaborone as Southern Africa's elite women's clubs battle for continental qualification.