Botswana national football team

Botswana
Nickname(s)	Dipitse (The Zebras)
Association	Botswana Football Association
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach	Adel Amrouche
Captain	Joel Mogorosi
Most caps	Joel Mogorosi (92)
Top scorer	Jerome Ramatlhakwane (24)
Home stadium	Botswana National Stadium
FIFA code	BOT
FIFA ranking
Current	150 1 (16 September 2021)
Highest	53 (December 2010)
Lowest	165 (November 1999 – February 2000)
First international
	Malawi 8–1 Botswana ; (Malawi; July 13, 1968)
Biggest win
	Botswana 6–0 Mauritius ; (Polokwane, South Africa; June 1, 2018)
Biggest defeat
	Malawi 8–1 Botswana ; (Malawi; July 13, 1968); Botswana 0–7 Zimbabwe ; (Gaborone, Botswana; August 26, 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)
show Medal record
COSAFA Cup

The Botswana national football team, nicknamed The Zebras (Setswana: Dipitse), was founded in 1970 to represent Botswana in men's international football and is governed by the Botswana Football Association (BFA). They have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup but they did qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.^[3] The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

History[]

Although Botswana have entered the FIFA World Cup preliminary stages five times, it took them nearly eleven years after playing their first match to register their first victory which was a 4–1 victory in the African pre-preliminary qualifying rounds for Germany 2006 against Lesotho.^{[citation needed]}

The southern African nation took part in their first preliminary competition for the 1994 World Cup in the United States, where they faced Niger and Ivory Coast. They managed a 0–0 draw with the latter in Gaborone, but lost their other three matches, finishing last in their group.

The next competition they entered was for the 2002 World Cup, where they faced Zambia in a two-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 suffered some poor results with the team losing 3–0 to Zambia, and losing to second-string sides from South Africa and Zimbabwe at home in Gaborone, frustrating many supporters. A draw with Madagascar which was ranked at 146th in the world at the time, led Botswana FA to sack manager Colwyn Rowe, despite him leading Botswana to their then-highest ever FIFA ranking of 95th. The BFA claimed this move was taken because they feared for his safety from angry fans. Stanley Tshosane was named as his replacement and in his first game in charge, Botswana achieved an impressive 2–1 win away to Mozambique to put them in a relatively strong position in their qualifying group. Despite also achieving a creditable draw with Ivory Coast, Botswana finished bottom of their qualifying group for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

This disappointment was followed by the most successful period in Botswana's history. Botswana defied their ranking to become the first team to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations, beating Tunisia both at home and away. This success coincided with a rise to their highest ever FIFA ranking of 53rd. They did not manage to build upon this upturn in form at the tournament, losing narrowly to Ghana and Mali and heavily to Guinea to finish bottom of their group with zero points.

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

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

Since then, the qualification to major tournaments has continued to elude Botswana. Despite beating Burundi and Guinea-Bissau in the knockout rounds, they finished last in their difficult qualifying group for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations with just a single point. In their qualifying group for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, they finished third - seven points behind qualifiers Burkina Faso and Uganda. In the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup, they beat Eritrea in the first round and won 2–1 at home against Mali in the first leg of the second round. However, 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 fourth time after the BFA chose not to renew Butler's contract. He led the team during qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations but results were poor with Botswana only scoring one goal in their six Group I matches.

Results and fixtures[]

Win Draw Loss Fixture

2021[]

6 July 2021 COSAFA Cup Group A	South Africa	1–0	Botswana	showPort Elizabeth, South Africa
17:00 UTC+2	6' R. Reuck 8'	Report	45+1'	Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Referee: Abongile Tom (South Africa)

10 July 2021 COSAFA Cup Group A	Lesotho	0–4	Botswana	showPort Elizabeth, South Africa
12:00 UTC+2	37' 45+3' N. Lerotholi 47'	Report	T. Setsile 18' T. Orebonye 28', 45+4' (pen.), 69' 48' 73'	Stadium: Wolfson Stadium Referee: Thulani Sibandze (Eswatini)

13 July 2021 COSAFA Cup Group A	Botswana	1–2	Zambia	showPort Elizabeth, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2	B. Sakala 4' 5' 62'	Report	J. Shonga 21', 83' (pen.) T. Orebonye 47' M. Johnson 67'	Stadium: Wolfson Stadium Referee: Thulani Sibandze (Eswatini)

14 July 2021 COSAFA Cup Group A	Eswatini	1–1	Botswana	showPort Elizabeth, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2	Ndzinisa 19' 34' 69' 71'	Report	45+1', 65' 89'	Stadium: Wolfson Stadium Referee: Audrick Nkole (Zambia)

Coaching history[]

Thomas Johnson (1973)
Rudi Gutendorf (1976)
Peter Cormack (1986–87)
Kenny Mwape (1990–92)
Freddie Mwila (1992–94)
Freddie Mwila (1994–96)
(1996–97)
David Bright (1997–98)
David Bright (1999)
Jeff Butler (1999)
David Bright (2000)
Karl-Heinz Marotzke (2001)
Veselin Jelušić (2002–05)
David Bright (2006, caretaker)
Colwyn Rowe (2006–08)
Stanley Tshosane (2008–2013)
Peter Butler (2014–17)
Mogomotsi Mpote (2017, caretaker)
David Bright (2017–2019)
(2019, caretaker)
Mogomotsi Mpote (2019, caretaker)
Adel Amrouche (2019– )

Players[]

Current squad[]

The following players were called up for the provisional squad for the 2021 COSAFA Cup.^[4]

Caps and goals correct as of 14 July 2021 after the match against Eswatini.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK		(1996-03-21) 21 March 1996 (age 25)	10	0	Jwaneng
1GK		(1996-07-10) 10 July 1996 (age 25)	2	0	Orapa United
1GK		(1996-01-02) 2 January 1996 (age 25)	2	0	Township Rollers

2DF		(1997-06-02) 2 June 1997 (age 24)	0	0	Uniao Flamengo Santos
2DF		(1993-07-27) 27 July 1993 (age 28)	17	0	Jwaneng
2DF	Mothusi Johnson	(1997-07-28) 28 July 1997 (age 24)	12	0	Orapa United
2DF		(1999-01-06) 6 January 1999 (age 22)	0	0	Jwaneng
2DF	Thatayaone Ditlhokwe	(1998-09-21) 21 September 1998 (age 22)	19	2	SuperSport United
2DF		(1997-05-29) 29 May 1997 (age 24)	19	0	Gaborone United
2DF	Mosha Gaolaolwe	(1993-12-25) 25 December 1993 (age 27)	62	1	Township Rollers
2DF		(1994-06-01) 1 June 1994 (age 27)	6	0	Jwaneng

3MF	Mothusi Cooper	(1997-07-19) 19 July 1997 (age 24)	10	0	Township Rollers
3MF		(1997-07-19) 19 July 1997 (age 24)	10	0	Botswana Defence Force
3MF		(1998-09-15) 15 September 1998 (age 23)	8	0	Orapa United
3MF		(1996-02-09) 9 February 1996 (age 25)	5	0	Township Rollers
3MF		(1997-03-20) 20 March 1997 (age 24)	13	1	Jwaneng
3MF	Segolame Boy	(1992-11-07) 7 November 1992 (age 28)	36	4	Township Rollers
3MF		(1996-01-30) 30 January 1996 (age 25)	16	4	Gaborone United

4FW		(1998-05-25) 25 May 1998 (age 23)	3	0	Botswana Police
4FW		(1998-05-11) 11 May 1998 (age 23)	0	0
4FW	Thero Setsile	(1995-10-08) 8 October 1995 (age 25)	24	2	Jwaneng
4FW		(1999-07-28) 28 July 1999 (age 22)	0	0	Township Rollers
4FW	Kabelo Seakanyeng	(1993-06-25) 25 June 1993 (age 28)	46	6	Olympique Khouribga
4FW		(1995-07-10) 10 July 1995 (age 26)	7	0	Orapa United
4FW	Tumisang Orebonye	(1996-03-26) 26 March 1996 (age 25)	34	5	Olympique Khouribga
4FW			0	0	Botswana Defence Force

Recent call-ups[]

The following players have also been called up to the Botswana squad within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Kabelo Dambe	(1990-05-10) 10 May 1990 (age 31)	62	0	Township Rollers	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021
GK		(1994-12-13) 13 December 1994 (age 26)	5	0	Gaborone United	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021

DF		(1988-07-11) 11 July 1988 (age 33)	18	1	Gaborone United	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021
DF	Simisani Mathumo	(1991-11-11) 11 November 1991 (age 29)	20	0	Olympique Khouribga	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021
DF	Onkarabile Ratanang	(1998-03-16) 16 March 1998 (age 23)	8	0	Township Rollers	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021
DF		(1992-07-21) 21 July 1992 (age 29)	1	0	Extension Gunners	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021
DF		(1987-03-28) 28 March 1987 (age 34)	1	0	Security Systems	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021
DF		(1995-08-19) 19 August 1995 (age 26)	0	0		v. Algeria; March 29, 2021

MF		(1994-10-22) 22 October 1994 (age 26)	7	0	Township Rollers	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021
MF	Mogakolodi Ngele	(1990-10-06) 6 October 1990 (age 30)	47	4	TTM	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021
MF	Kobamelo Kebaikanye	(1991-08-27) 27 August 1991 (age 30)	9	0	Orapa United	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021
MF	Tapiwa Gadibolae	(1993-02-26) 26 February 1993 (age 28)	22	1	Police XI	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021

FW	Onkabetse Makgantai	(1995-07-01) 1 July 1995 (age 26)	27	10	Orapa United	v. Algeria; March 29, 2021
^INJ Withdrew due to injury ^PRE Preliminary/Standby squad ^RET Retired from the national team ^SUS Serving suspension ^WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Player records[]

As of 14 July 2021^[5]

Players in bold are still active with Botswana.

Most appearances
Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Joel Mogorosi	93	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	Dipsy Selolwane	68	18	1998–2012
8	Lemponye Tshireletso	64	11	2009–present
9	Kabelo Dambe	62	0	2011–present
	Mosha Gaolaolwe	62	1	2013–present
	Ofentse Nato	62	4	2009–2017

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	93	0.17	2005–present
4	Lemponye Tshireletso	11	64	0.17	2009–present
5	Onkabetse Makgantai	10	27	0.37	2014–present
6	Moemedi Moatlhaping	9	50	0.18	2004–2013
7	Tshepiso Molwantwa	8	44	0.18	1998–2006
8	Pontsho Moloi	7	50	0.14	2004–2012
9	Kabelo Seakanyeng	6	46	0.13	2014–present
10	Tumisang Orebonye	5	34	0.15	2017–present

Competition records[]

World Cup record[]

FIFA World Cup record									FIFA World Cup Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1990	Did not enter								Did not enter
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								To be determined
Total		0/22							36	10	6	20	33	53

Africa Cup of Nations record[]

Africa Cup of Nations
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1957 to 1965	Part of United Kingdom
1968 to 1976	Not affiliated to CAF
1978 to 1992	Did not enter
1994 to 2010	Did not qualify
2012	Round 1	14th	3	0	0	3	2	9
2013 to 2021	Did not qualify
2023	To be determined
2025	To be determined
Total	Round 1	1/33	3	0	0	3	2	9

Head-to-head record[]

As of 18 November 2019 after match against Algeria^[6]

Positive Record Neutral Record Negative Record

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 PR	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. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
^ "BBC Sport – Football – Minnows Botswana qualify for Africa Cup of Nations". BBC News. 2011-03-26. Retrieved 2013-11-15.
^ "Botswana name provisional selection for Cosafa Cup". Supersport.com.
^ "Botswana - Record International Players". rsssf.com. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Botswana". Elo Ratings. Retrieved 9 August 2017.

External links[]

Botswana at FIFA.com
Botswana FA Official site

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.

[World_Football_Elo_Ratings-2] Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.

[3] "BBC Sport – Football – Minnows Botswana qualify for Africa Cup of Nations". BBC News. 2011-03-26. Retrieved 2013-11-15.

[4] "Botswana name provisional selection for Cosafa Cup". Supersport.com.

[5] "Botswana - Record International Players". rsssf.com. Retrieved 2017-02-02.

[6] "World Football Elo Ratings: Botswana". Elo Ratings. Retrieved 9 August 2017.

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[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

show v t National football teams of Africa (CAF)
North Africa (UNAF)	Algeria Egypt Libya Morocco Tunisia
West Africa (WAFU)	Benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Togo
East Africa (CECAFA)	Burundi Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Rwanda Somalia South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zanzibar¹
Central Africa (UNIFFAC)	Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Congo DR Congo Equatorial Guinea Gabon São Tomé and Príncipe
Southern Africa (COSAFA)	Angola Botswana Comoros Eswatini Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Zambia Zimbabwe
Non-regional Members	Réunion¹
¹ Associate member of CAF but not member of FIFA

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