The Warriors’ first match to defend their Cosafa Cup title will be against Group B winners at the quarter-final stage in the Limpopo province of South Africa next month.

The 18th edition of the Cosafa Cup will make history, with all 14 members of the association taking part in the regional showpiece from May 27 to June 9.

According to the draw conducted in South Africa Wednesday, Group B has Angola, Botswana, Mauritius and Malawi. Hosts South Africa will take on the winner of Group A, which has Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros Islands and Seychelles. The other two quarter-finals will see four-time winners Zambia clashing with Namibia and Lesotho taking on Swaziland.

In a Press statement, Cosafa said the desire for all members in the region to compete shows the value and importance of the tournament in developing skills on and off the pitch in Southern Africa, a key component of the event since it was first played in 1997.

“We are delighted that all our members will take the opportunity to compete at the Cosafa Cup, which is not only a celebration of excellence in southern African football but also gives players, coaches and referees the chance to hone their skills in the international environment,” said Timothy Shongwe, the Cosafa executive committee member for competitions.

“The Cosafa Cup has a rich history of developing talent in all areas in our region and is vital for many countries, as a tournament that provides them with international exposure. We would like to thank all our stakeholders for making this tournament possible again this year, including our gracious hosts, the South African Football Association and the beautiful Limpopo Province.”

South Africa and Zambia have each claimed four titles in the Cosafa Cup competition before while Angola have three and Namibia celebrated their only success in 2015.