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.[3]
 | ||||
| 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 | 146  (4 April 2024)[1] | |||
| 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 | ||||
History edit
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 had guided 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 edit
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 edit
| 24 March 2023 AFCON qualification | Equatorial Guinea  | 2–0 | Botswana | Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |
| 20:00 UTC+1 | 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 |
|
Report | Stadium: Francistown Stadium Referee: Mohamed Diraneh Guedi (Djibouti) |
| 17 June 2023 AFCON qualification | Botswana | 1–0 |  Libya | Francistown, Botswana |
| 18:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report | Stadium: Francistown Stadium Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (Rwanda) |
| 5 July 2023 COSAFA Cup | Eswatini  | 0–1 | Botswana | Durban |
| 15:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium |
| 8 July 2023 COSAFA Cup | South Africa  | 2–1 | Botswana | Durban |
| 15:00 | Report |
|
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 | Report | Stadium: Stade Hammadi Agrebi Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal) |
| 16 November 2026 World Cup qualification | Botswana | 2–3 |  Mozambique | Francistown, Botswana |
| 15:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report | Stadium: Obed Itani Chilume Stadium Referee: Peter Waweru (Kenya) |
| 21 November 2026 World Cup qualification | Botswana | 1–0 |  Guinea | Francistown, Botswana |
| 15:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report | Stadium: Obed Itani Chilume Stadium Referee: Patrice Tanguy Mebiame (Gabon) |
2024 edit
| 8 January Friendly | Botswana | 1–1 | Mozambique | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| 16:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Johannesburg Stadium |
| 22 March Friendly | Botswana | 0–0 |  Rwanda | Antananarivo, Madagascar |
| Stadium: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium |
| 25 March Friendly | Burundi  | 0–0 | Botswana | Antananarivo, Madagascar |
| Stadium: Mahamasina Municipal Stadium |
| 7 June 2026 World Cup qualification | Uganda  | 1–0 | Botswana | Kampala, Uganda |
| 19:00 UTC+3 |
|
Report | Stadium: Mandela National Stadium Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Clement Franklin Kpan (Ivory Coast) |
| 10 June 2026 World Cup qualification | Somalia  | 1–3 | Botswana | Maputo, Mozambique |
| 15:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Estádio do Zimpeto Referee: Emmanuel Mensah (Liberia) |
2025 edit
| March 2025 2026 World Cup qualification | Botswana | v |  Algeria |
| March 2025 2026 World Cup qualification | Botswana | v | Somalia |
| September 2025 2026 World Cup qualification | Algeria | v | Botswana |
| September 2025 2026 World Cup qualification | Mozambique | v | Botswana |
| October 2025 2026 World Cup qualification | Botswana | v | Uganda |
| October 2025 2026 World Cup qualification | Guinea | v | Botswana |
Coaching history edit
- 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 edit
Current squad edit
The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Uganda and Somalia on 7 and 10 June 2024.[4]
Caps and goals correct as of 25 March 2024, after the match against Burundi
Recent call-ups edit
The following players were last called up within the last twelve months.
Player records edit
- As of 10 June 2024[5]
- Players in bold are still active with Botswana.
Most appearances edit
| 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 | Mosha Gaolaolwe | 79 | 2 | 2013–present |
| 5 | Ndiapo Letsholathebe | 78 | 0 | 2003–2013 |
| 6 | Tshepo Motlhabankwe | 76 | 2 | 2003–2013 |
| 7 | Mogogi Gabonamong | 74 | 4 | 1999–2015 |
| 8 | Dipsy Selolwane | 68 | 18 | 1998–2012 |
| 9 | Lemponye Tshireletso | 64 | 11 | 2009–2020 |
| 10 | Kabelo Dambe | 63 | 0 | 2011–present |
Top goalscorers edit
| 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 |
| Kabelo Seakanyeng | 10 | 61 | 0.16 | 2014–present | |
| 7 | Moemedi Moatlhaping | 9 | 50 | 0.18 | 2004–2013 |
| 8 | Tshepiso Molwantwa | 8 | 44 | 0.18 | 1998–2006 |
| 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 edit
FIFA World Cup edit
| FIFA World Cup | Qualification | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1970 to 1978 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
| 1982 to 1990 | Did not enter | Declined participation | |||||||||||||
 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 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | ||||||||
   2030
|
To be determined | ||||||||||||||
 2034
| |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/11 | 40 | 12 | 6 | 22 | 39 | 58 | ||||||||
Africa Cup of Nations edit
| 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
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| 1990
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 1992
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| 1994 |
Did not qualify | |||||||||||||||
| 1996
| ||||||||||||||||
 1998
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| 2000
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 2002
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| 2004
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| 2006
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| 2008
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 2010
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 2012
|
Group stage | 14th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | ||||||||
| 2013 |
Did not qualify | |||||||||||||||
| 2015
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| 2017
| ||||||||||||||||
| 2019
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 2021
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| 2023
| ||||||||||||||||
| 2025 |
To be determined | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
  2027
| ||||||||||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 1/36 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | ||||||||
COSAFA Cup edit
Head-to-head record edit
As of 18 November 2019 after match against Algeria[6]
| 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 edit
- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "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 edit
- Botswana FA official site
- Botswana at CAF
- Botswana at FIFA