Member Association Focus: Botswana
Our weekly Member Association focus falls on Botswana, a member of the Confédération Africaine de Football since 1976. We catch up with what is happening in the country.
NATIONAL TEAM
The Zebras pulled off one of the best results in their history when they held Egypt to a 1-1 draw in Cairo in November. It assured them of second place behind Egypt in Group C and qualification to the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco next year. It will be only the second time that Botswana participate at the continental showpiece event and their qualification came despite the disruption of coach Didier Gomes da Rosa leaving just days after their third and fourth group matches in October. Morena Ramoreboli was appointed to take interim charge of the last two qualifiers in November and saw them into the finals. It is going to be a bumper 2025 for Botswana supporters as the women’s team are also through to CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations finals. They are drawn with Algeria, Nigeria and Tunisia in Group B for the tournament in Morocco in July.
CLUBS
This season has seen Orapa United qualify for the group phase of the CAF Confederation Cup. It is the first time a club from Botswana has got as far in the competition but in the CAF Champions League, Township Rollers in 2018 and Jwaneng Galaxy in 2021-22 and 2023-24 made it to the group phase. Galaxy, with Ramoreboli as their coach, have won three of the last four Premier League titles. Gaborone United were desperately unlucky not to reach November’s CAF Women’s Champions League finals in Morocco, having been edged 9-8 on post-match penalties by UWC Ladies in August’s Cosafa qualifiers in Malawi.
LEADERSHIP
Tariq Babitseng was elected in September as the new president of the Botswana Football Association. He is a former chairman of the Lobatse-based club Extension Gunners.
HISTORY
Dipsy Selolwane was the first player from Botswana to play for a club outside Africa when he signed for Vejle in Denmark and then went to Major League Soccer in the United States to play for Chicago Fire and later Real Salt Lake. The striker has the distinction of scoring the goal which saw Botswana beat Madagascar 1-0 at home in July 2000, which marked their first win in a Cup of Nations qualifier.