Botswana national football team

Botswana
Nickname(s)	Dipitse (The Zebras)
Association	BFA
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach	Didier Gomes Da Rosa
Captain	Thatayaone Ditlhokwe
Most caps	Joel Mogorosi (92)
Top scorer	Jerome Ramatlhakwane (24)
Home stadium	Botswana National Stadium
FIFA code	BOT
FIFA ranking
Current	145 (21 December 2023)
Highest	53 (December 2010)
Lowest	165 (November 1999 – February 2000)
First international
	Malawi 8–1 Botswana ; (Malawi; 13 July 1968)
Biggest win
	Botswana 6–0 Mauritius ; (Polokwane, South Africa; 1 June 2018)
Biggest defeat
	Malawi 8–1 Botswana ; (Malawi; 13 July 1968); Botswana 0–7 Zimbabwe ; (Gaborone, Botswana; 26 August 1990)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	1 (first in 2012)
Best result	Group Stage (2012)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances	19 (first in 1997)
Best result	Runners-up (2016, 2019)
Medal record
COSAFA Cup

The Botswana national football team was founded in 1970 to represent Botswana in association football and is governed by the Botswana Football Association (BFA). It qualified for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.^[2]

History

It took part in its first preliminary competition for the 1994 World Cup in the United States, where it faced Niger and Ivory Coast. It managed a 0–0 draw with the latter in Gaborone, and lost its other 3 matches, finishing last in its group.

The next competition it entered was for the 2002 World Cup, where it faced Zambia in a 2-legged tie to decide which team would advance to the group stages. Zambia won both legs of the tie to qualify and knock Botswana out.

After this, Botswana lost 3–0 to Zambia and to second-string sides from South Africa and Zimbabwe at home in Gaborone. A draw with Madagascar which was ranked at 146th in the world at the time, led Botswana FA to sack manager Colwyn Rowe, who lead Botswana to its then-highest ever FIFA ranking of 95th. BFA claimed this move was taken because it feared for his safety from angry fans. Stanley Tshosane was named as his replacement and in his first game in charge, Botswana achieved a 2–1 win away to Mozambique. While achieving a draw with Ivory Coast, Botswana finished bottom of its qualifying group for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Botswana defied its ranking to become the first team to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, beating Tunisia both at home and away. This coincided with a rise to its highest ever FIFA ranking of 53rd. It did not manage to build upon this upturn in form at the tournament, losing more narrowly to Ghana and Mali and more heavily to Guinea to finish bottom of its group with 0 points.

The truncated qualification format for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations saw Botswana face Mali in a two-legged tie, which Botswana lost 7–1 on aggregate. Botswana failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, finishing third in its group with 7 points behind South Africa and Ethiopia.

In October 2013, BFA sacked Tshosane, citing his "failing to meet the targets set for him". It subsequently appointed Englishman Peter Butler in February 2014.

Beating Burundi and Guinea-Bissau in the knockout rounds, it finished last in its qualifying group for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with a single point. In its qualifying group for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, it finished third - 7 points behind qualifiers Burkina Faso and Uganda. In the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, it beat Eritrea in the first round and won 2–1 at home against Mali in the first leg of the second round. A 2–0 win for Mali in Bamako meant that Botswana lost on aggregate and failed to make the group stages.

In July 2017, David Bright became manager of the Zebras for the 4th time after BFA chose not to renew Butler's contract. He led the team during qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, in which Botswana scored only 1 goal in its 6 Group I matches.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Win Draw Loss Fixture

2023

24 March 2023 AFCON qualification	Equatorial Guinea	2–0	Botswana	Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
20:00 UTC+1	Coco 20' Bikoro 66'	Report		Stadium: Estadio de Malabo Referee: Adalbert Diouf (Senegal)

28 March 2023 AFCON qualification	Botswana	2–3	Equatorial Guinea	Francistown, Botswana
15:00 UTC+2	Elias 28' Seakanyeng 66' (pen.)	Report	Nsue 13' Ditsele 40' (o.g.) Salvador 51'	Stadium: Francistown Stadium Referee: Mohamed Diraneh Guedi (Djibouti)

17 June 2023 AFCON qualification	Botswana	1–0	Libya	Francistown, Botswana
18:00 UTC+2	Mohutsiwa 45'	Report		Stadium: Francistown Stadium Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (Rwanda)

5 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	Eswatini	0–1	Botswana	Durban
15:00		Report	Ditsele 23'	Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium

8 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	South Africa	2–1	Botswana	Durban
15:00	Rayners 66' (pen.) Mogaila 68'	Report	Kgamanyane 63'	Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium

11 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	Namibia	0–0	Botswana	Durban
18:00		Report		Stadium: Chatsworth Stadium

7 September 2023 AFCON qualification	Tunisia	3–0	Botswana	Radès, Tunisia
20:00 UTC+1	Velaphi 60' (o.g.) Msakni 82', 90+3'	Report		Stadium: Stade Hammadi Agrebi Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal)

30 September Friendly

Botswana

1–1

Zimbabwe

16 October Friendly

Botswana

2–1

Eswatini

16 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Botswana	2–3	Mozambique	Francistown, Botswana
15:00 UTC+2	Tlhalefang 74' Ngele 85'	Report	Clésio 14' Ratifo 52' Muiomo 75'	Stadium: Obed Itani Chilume Stadium Referee: Peter Waweru (Kenya)

21 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Botswana	1–0	Guinea	Francistown, Botswana
15:00 UTC+2	Seakanyeng 79'	Report		Stadium: Obed Itani Chilume Stadium Referee: Patrice Tanguy Mebiame (Gabon)

2024

8 January Friendly	Botswana	1–1	Mozambique	Johannesburg, South Africa
16:00 UTC+2	Seakanyeng 39' (pen.)	Report	Amade 90+5'	Stadium: Johannesburg Stadium

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Thomas Johnson (1973)
Rudi Gutendorf (1976)
Peter Cormack (1986–1987)
Kenny Mwape (1990–1992)
Freddie Mwila (1992–1994)
Freddie Mwila (1994–1996)
Michael Gaborone (1996–1997)
David Bright (1997–1998)
David Bright (1999)
Jeff Butler (1999)
David Bright (2000)
Karl-Heinz Marotzke (2001)
Veselin Jelušić (2002–2005)
David Bright (2006)
Colwyn Rowe (2006–2008)
Stanley Tshosane (2008–2013)
Peter Butler (2014–2017)
Mogomotsi Mpote (2017)
David Bright (2017–2019)
Mfolo Mfolo (2019)
Mogomotsi Mpote (2019)
Adel Amrouche (2019–2022)
Rahman Gumbo (2022)
Mogomotsi Mpote (2022–2023)
Didier Gomes Da Rosa (2023-)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the friendly against Mozambique on 8 January 2024.^[3]

Caps and goals correct as of 21 November 2023, after the match against Guinea

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Kabelo Dambe	(1990-05-10) 10 May 1990	63	0	Township Rollers
1GK	Goitseone Phoko	(1994-12-13) 13 December 1994	22	1	Gaborone United
1GK	Kenneth Moko		0	0

2DF	Mosha Gaolaolwe	(1993-12-25) 25 December 1993	73	1	Township Rollers
2DF	Mothusi Johnson	(1997-07-28) 28 July 1997	22	0	Gaborone United
2DF	Alfred Velaphi	(1999-01-18) 18 January 1999	19	0	Gaborone United
2DF	Tebogo Kopelang	(2000-04-24) 24 April 2000	15	0	Security Systems
2DF	Kitso Mangolo	(1999-01-06) 6 January 1999	15	1	Jwaneng Galaxy

3MF	Mpho Kgaswane	(1994-06-13) 13 June 1994	20	2	Gaborone United
3MF	Gape Mohutsiwa	(1997-03-20) 20 March 1997	19	2	ASO Chlef
3MF	Thabo Leinanyane	(1993-07-27) 27 July 1993	17	0	Jwaneng Galaxy
3MF	Olebogeng Ramotse	(1998-01-17) 17 January 1998	4	0	Masitaoka
3MF	Motsholetsi Sikele	(1991-12-01) 1 December 1991	2	0	Township Rollers
3MF	Phenyo Serameng	(1996-09-27) 27 September 1996	1	0	Township Rollers
3MF	Christopher Lemme		0	0

4FW	Kabelo Seakanyeng	(1993-06-25) 25 June 1993	56	8	Olympique Khouribga
4FW	Tumisang Orebonye	(1996-03-26) 26 March 1996	43	5	USM Alger
4FW	Thatayaone Kgamanyane	(1996-01-30) 30 January 1996	26	5	Gaborone United
4FW	Thabang Sesinyi	(1992-10-15) 15 October 1992	18	2	Jwaneng Galaxy
4FW	Molaodi Tlhalefang	(1997-07-07) 7 July 1997	7	1	Miscellaneous SC Serowe
4FW	Eric Ookame	(2001-04-03) 3 April 2001	3	0	Eleven Angels

Recent call-ups

The following players were last called up within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Lesenya Malapela	(1996-07-10) 10 July 1996	7	0	Orapa United	2023 COSAFA Cup
GK	Thabo Motswagole	(2000-04-22) 22 April 2000	1	0	Masitaoka	2023 COSAFA Cup
GK	Kabelo Maphakela	(1998-11-28) 28 November 1998	0	0	Township Rollers	v. Libya, 17 June 2023
GK	Ezekiel Morake	(1996-03-21) 21 March 1996	10	0	Ethiopian Coffee	v. Equatorial Guinea, 28 March 2023

DF	Thato Kebue	(1997-05-29) 29 May 1997	34	2	Gaborone United	v. Guinea, 21 November 2023
DF	Thatayaone Ditlhokwe	(1998-09-21) 21 September 1998	29	2	Kaizer Chiefs	v. Guinea, 21 November 2023
DF	Thabo Babutsi	(2000-07-24) 24 July 2000	3	0	Township Rollers	v. Zimbabwe, 30 September 2023
DF	Goitseone Legopelo	(1997-06-02) 2 June 1997	5	0	Uniao Flamengo Santos	2023 COSAFA Cup
DF	Thabang Khuduga	(1999-03-24) 24 March 1999	1	0	Masitaoka	2023 COSAFA Cup
DF	Leruo Ratala	(1998-10-03) 3 October 1998	0	0	Gaborone United	v. Libya, 17 June 2023
DF	Moagi Sechele	(1992-11-07) 7 November 1992	1	0	Jwaneng Galaxy	v. Equatorial Guinea, 28 March 2023

MF	Lebogang Ditsele	(1996-04-20) 20 April 1996	54	3	Gaborone United	v. Guinea, 21 November 2023
MF	Mothusi Cooper	(1997-07-19) 19 July 1997	25	0	Gaborone United	v. Guinea, 21 November 2023
MF	Godiraone Modingwane	(1996-06-26) 26 June 1996	17	0	Botswana Defence Force	v. Guinea, 21 November 2023
MF	Oarabile Sekwai	(1998-11-28) 28 November 1998	2	0	Police XI	v. Guinea, 21 November 2023
MF	Gofaone Mabaya	(1995-08-31) 31 August 1995	18	0	Orapa United	v. Zimbabwe, 30 September 2023
MF	Lemogang Maswena	(1991-02-05) 5 February 1991	7	1	Jwaneng Galaxy	v. Zimbabwe, 30 September 2023
MF	Thabang Aphiri	(2003-08-03) 3 August 2003	1	0	Jwaneng Galaxy	v. Zimbabwe, 30 September 2023
MF	Gape Thibedi	(2000-02-02) 2 February 2000	10	0	Gaborone United	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Obakeng Ramotlhwa	(1999-07-26) 26 July 1999	1	0	Masitaoka	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Shaun Theron	(2003-03-11) 11 March 2003	0	0	Jwaneng Galaxy	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Omphile Vissage	(1996-11-28) 28 November 1996	0	0	Township Rollers	v. Libya, 17 June 2023

FW	Tawana Mbakile	(2000-07-14) 14 July 2000	4	0	Security Systems	v. Guinea, 21 November 2023
FW	Monty Enosa	(2004-02-06) 6 February 2004	5	0	Masitaoka	v. Zimbabwe, 30 September 2023
FW	Lethabo Ogotseng	(2002-11-17) 17 November 2002	0	0	Masitaoka	2023 COSAFA Cup
FW	Omaatla Kebatho	(1993-06-16) 16 June 1993	22	2	Orapa United	v. Libya, 17 June 2023
FW	Thero Setsile	(1995-10-08) 8 October 1995	31	3	Gaborone United	v. Equatorial Guinea, 28 March 2023
FW	Onkabetse Makgantai	(1995-07-01) 1 July 1995	27	10	Orapa United	v. Equatorial Guinea, 28 March 2023
FW	Mbatshi Elias	(1995-07-10) 10 July 1995	11	1	Township Rollers	v. Equatorial Guinea, 28 March 2023

Player records

As of 21 November 2023^[4]

Players in bold are still active with Botswana.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Joel Mogorosi	92	16	2005–2019
2	Mompati Thuma	86	1	2004–2013
3	Modiri Marumo	85	0	1997–2015
4	Ndiapo Letsholathebe	78	0	2003–2013
5	Tshepo Motlhabankwe	76	2	2003–2013
6	Mogogi Gabonamong	74	4	1999–2015
7	Mosha Gaolaolwe	73	1	2013–present
8	Dipsy Selolwane	68	18	1998–2012
9	Lemponye Tshireletso	64	11	2009–2020
10	Kabelo Dambe	63	0	2011–present

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Jerome Ramatlhakwane	24	61	0.39	2006–2018
2	Dipsy Selolwane	18	68	0.26	1998–2012
3	Joel Mogorosi	16	92	0.17	2005–2019
4	Lemponye Tshireletso	11	64	0.17	2009–2020
5	Onkabetse Makgantai	10	27	0.37	2014–2021
6	Moemedi Moatlhaping	9	50	0.18	2004–2013
7	Tshepiso Molwantwa	8	44	0.18	1998–2006
7	Kabelo Seakanyeng	8	56	0.14	2014–present
9	Pontsho Moloi	7	50	0.14	2004–2012
10	Thatayaone Kgamanyane	5	26	0.19	2017–present
	Tumisang Orebonye	5	43	0.12	2017–present
	Mogakolodi Ngele	5	49	0.1	2009–present

Competitive records

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record									Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1970	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1974
1978
1982	Did not enter								Declined participation
1986
1990
1994	Did not qualify								4	0	1	3	1	9
1998	Did not enter								Did not enter
2002	Did not qualify								2	0	0	2	0	2
2006									12	4	1	7	14	19
2010									6	1	2	3	3	8
2014									6	2	1	3	8	10
2018									4	3	0	1	7	4
2022									2	0	1	1	0	1
2026	To be determined								1	0	0	1	2	3
2030									To be determined
2034									To be determined
Total		0/22							37	10	6	21	35	56

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record									Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957	Part of United Kingdom								Part of United Kingdom
1959
1962
1963
1965
1968	Not affiliated to CAF								Not affiliated to CAF
1970
1974
1976
1978	Did not enter								Did not enter
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994	Did not qualify
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012	Group stage	14th	3	0	0	3	2	9
2013	Did not qualify
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
2025	To be determined								To be determined
2027	To be determined								To be determined
Total	Group stage	1/36	3	0	0	3	2	9

COSAFA Cup

Head-to-head record

As of 18 November 2019 after match against Algeria^[5]

**Key**
	Positive balance (more Wins)
	Neutral balance (Wins = Losses)
	Negative balance (more Losses)

Opponent	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
Algeria	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1
Angola	12	1	6	5	5	13	−8
Burkina Faso	6	2	1	3	3	7	−4
Burundi	4	2	1	1	2	1	+1
Central African Republic	2	1	0	1	3	4	−1
Cameroon	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Chad	2	2	0	0	2	0	+2
China	2	0	0	2	1	6	−5
Comoros	3	1	1	1	2	2	0
DR Congo	5	0	3	2	0	4	−4
Egypt	6	0	2	4	1	7	−6
Equatorial Guinea	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2
Eritrea	2	2	0	0	5	1	+4
Ethiopia	4	2	0	2	7	4	+3
Gabon	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Ghana	2	0	1	1	0	1	−1
Guinea	5	0	0	5	2	18	−16
Guinea-Bissau	2	1	1	0	3	1	+2
Iran	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
Iraq	1	0	1	0	1	1	0
Ivory Coast	4	0	2	2	1	11	−10
Kenya	7	3	0	4	7	10	−3
Lesotho	30	14	11	5	35	23	+12
Liberia	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Libya	3	0	2	1	0	1	−1
Madagascar	6	2	1	3	4	5	−1
Malawi	25	5	8	12	21	47	−26
Mali	7	1	0	6	5	19	−14
Mauritania	4	1	0	3	3	8	−5
Mauritius	3	1	1	1	6	1	+5
Morocco	2	0	0	2	0	2	−2
Mozambique	21	4	4	13	15	31	−16
Namibia	19	7	10	2	19	18	+1
New Zealand	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Niger	3	0	1	2	2	4	−2
Nigeria	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Senegal	2	0	0	2	0	5	−5
Seychelles	3	3	0	0	7	1	+6
South Africa	15	0	5	10	8	25	−17
South Sudan	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3
Swaziland	23	12	6	5	36	21	+15
Sweden	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1
Tanzania	5	1	2	2	7	9	−2
Togo	2	1	0	1	2	2	0
Trinidad and Tobago	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Tunisia	6	2	1	3	5	9	−4
Uganda	5	0	2	3	2	7	−5
Zambia	22	3	6	13	8	34	−26
Zimbabwe	17	4	4	9	8	21	−13
Total	303	80	82	141	245	388	−143

References

↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
↑ "BBC Sport – Football – Minnows Botswana qualify for Africa Cup of Nations". BBC News. 2011-03-26. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
↑ "Final Squad". Twitter. Botswana Football Association.
↑ "Botswana – Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-07-10. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
↑ "World Football Elo Ratings: Botswana". Elo Ratings. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2017.

External links

Botswana FA official site
Botswana at CAF
Botswana at FIFA

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.

[2] "BBC Sport – Football – Minnows Botswana qualify for Africa Cup of Nations". BBC News. 2011-03-26. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2013-11-15.

[3] "Final Squad". Twitter. Botswana Football Association.

[4] "Botswana – Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2022-07-10. Retrieved 2017-02-02.

[5] "World Football Elo Ratings: Botswana". Elo Ratings. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2017.

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