Lesotho Senior Women’s National Team, Mehalalitoe, are intensifying preparations for the upcoming COSAFA Women’s Championship scheduled to take place in Polokwane later this month, as the squad looks to make a strong impression on the regional stage.
Drawn in a challenging Group A, Mehalalitoe will face hosts South Africa, alongside Malawi and Angola. Lesotho will open their tournament campaign on February 18 with a fixture against Angola, a match expected to set the tone for their group stage ambitions.
However, as preparations continue in camp, the national side has been dealt an emotional setback following the loss of one of the country’s promising young talents.
Hunters Ladies Football Club captain Mone Lets’oara has been forced to retire from football at just 19 years of age after being diagnosed with an illness. The development comes after the player was rushed to hospital on 24 January 2026, having collapsed during a match.
In a statement released by Hunters Ladies FC, the club confirmed that Lets’oara would no longer be able to continue playing football following medical advice. Doctors who attended to the young star recommended that she cease playing the sport entirely for health reasons.
Lets’oara was diagnosed with asthma, and medical professionals determined that continuing with competitive football could place her health at serious risk. Prior to her illness, the talented captain had been named in the provisional squad for the upcoming 2026 COSAFA Women’s Championship and had recently been called up to train with Mehalalitoe as part of preparations for the tournament.
Her retirement marks a heartbreaking moment not only for her club but also for the national team setup, where she was widely regarded as one of the emerging prospects for the future of women’s football in Lesotho.
This latest development adds to a growing list of careers cut short by medical conditions within local football circles. Recently, Matlama Football Club defender and defensive midfielder Molefe ‘Linaoa’ Thatho was also forced into early retirement after doctors warned that continuing to play could expose him to a life-threatening medical risk.
Mehalalitoe will push forward with their COSAFA Women’s Championship preparations, they do so carrying both competitive ambitions and the emotional weight of losing a young talent who had been on the cusp of representing the country on one of the region’s biggest stages in female football.
