LIKUENA head coach Thabo Senong is excited about the Council of Southern Africa Football Association (COSAFA) Cup draw that was announced in Nelson Mandela Bay, Port Elizabeth on Thursday.

The draw has pitted the national side in Group A against hosts Bafana Bafana, Botswana's Zebras and Isihlangu Semnikati of Eswatini for the 20th edition of the regional tournament that will be held from July 7-18.
Senong said he is excited about going up against the three strong and experienced regional teams

“South Africa are the hosts, they are technically strong, Eswatini had a good AFCON run and they are physically strong while Botswana are mentally tough and tactically organised,” he said.
He added that he is looking forward to the tournament from which he hopes to learn, saying he will be fielding new and young faces.

“The COSAFA Cup is a good platform for players to advertise themselves, get exposure and get scouted. For us as Lesotho, it’s a rebuilding phase; we are building the team for the African Nations Championships (CHAN) and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.”

The South Africa-born mentor announced his provisional squad on Wednesday for the coveted annual competition.

Top teams in each of the three groups and the best placed runners-up will advance to the semi-finals in what is a change in formation for this year's tournament.
Senong will be heading to his first COSAFA tournament in charge of Likuena after last year's episode was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He previously tasted success in the tournament having won it with Bafana Bafana as Assistant Coach to Shakes Mashaba in 2016 in Namibia.
He also won the COSAFA Under-20 Championship while in charge of Amajita in 2017 and 2018.
The full COSAFA draw is as follows - Group A consists of hosts South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini and Botswana, Group B is made up of Zambia, Malawi, Madagascar and Comoros. Group C comprises Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia along with invited guests, Senegal.
Senegal are a top-ranked side in Africa and sit at number 22 in world rankings and will be making their debut appearance in COSAFA competition.