[1] East African guest nation Tanzania were the inaugural Champions when they lifted a maiden title in 2019 with a 2–1 victory over Zambia in the final.

[2][3] As the Twiga Stars did not return for this edition the tournament saw a COSAFA member claim the title for the first time, with Zambia clinching the championship undefeated and without conceding a goal, while host South Africa finished second.

[4][5] Unlike the previous edition, which featured a group stage followed by semifinals and a final, This year's competition followed a round-robin format due to the lower number of participants.

[8] The tournament draw took place at COSAFA House in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 13 October 2024 at 17:00 SAST (UTC+2).

[9] the pre-determined fixtures: The draw resulted in the following positions: Each of the five participating national teams was required to register a squad of up to 20 players.