Cosafa Cup: Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates contribute two players as South Africa name final squad

South Africa coach Helman Mkhalele has named his 23 players to take part in the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Cup to be played in Durban from July 5-17.

The final squad has been made up of 22 local players with the only exception being the 21-year-old Katlego Mashigo who plays for Portadown in Ireland.

South Africa, who are the defending champions, have opted to take under-23 players for the annual competition.

Soweto heavyweights Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have contributed a player each while Mamelodi Sundowns have no player in the team.

The 2022 hosts will start their campaign in the last eight where they are scheduled to play Mozambique.

It is a tasty clash to look forward to, but there will also be plenty of others as the regional tournament sees west African guest nation Senegal return for a second year in a row after they finished runners-up behind South Africa in 2021. 

The Lions of Teranga will take on the winners of the first round Group B, where Lesotho meet Malawi, Mauritius and Eswatini.

Madagascar will face the Brave Warriors of Namibia in the third of the quarter-finals, while five-time winners Zambia tackle the winner of Group A, which contains Angola, Comoros, Seychelles, and Botswana in what is likely to be a hotly contested pool. 

Only the top team in each pool will advance to the quarter-finals, making it a fierce battle for a place in the knockout stage.

The winners of the quarter-finals will advance to the semi-final round, while the losers will drop into the Plate competition and ensure they do have further matches to fine-tune for the upcoming African Nations Championship and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

South Africa final squad:

Goalkeepers: Lincoln Vyver (Cape Town Spurs), Olwethu Mzimela (AmaZulu), Lebohang Nthene (Stellenbosch)

Defenders: Sbonele Cele (Golden Arrows), Athenkosi Mcaba (Stellenbosch), Macbeth Mahlangu, (TS Galaxy), Keegan Johannes (SuperSport United), Zuko Madunyelwa (Chippa United), Siyanda Msani (University of Pretoria), Khulekani Shezi (Royal AM)

Midfielders: Jayden Adams (Stellenbosch), Ethan Brooks (Galaxy), Sydney Malivha, Dan Ndlhovu (Baroka FC), Selaelo Rasebotja, Thapelo Maseko (SuperSport United), Rowan Human (Maritzburg United), Chumani Busaka (Cape Town Spurs)

Strikers: Azola Matrose (Chippa United), Antonio van Wyk (Stellenbosch), Keletso Sifama (Kaizer Chiefs), Boitumelo Radiopane (Orlando Pirates), Katlego Mashigo (Portadown)