Botswana national football team
| Nickname | Dipitse (The Zebras) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Botswana Football Association (BFA) | |||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | |||
| Sub-confederation | COSAFA (Southern Africa) | |||
| Head coach | Morena Ramoreboli | |||
| Captain | Thatayaone Ditlhokwe | |||
| Most caps | Mosha Gaolaolwe (96) | |||
| Top scorer | Jerome Ramatlhakwane (24) | |||
| Home stadium | Botswana National Stadium | |||
| FIFA code | BOT | |||
| ||||
| FIFA ranking | ||||
| Current | 144  6 (19 January 2026)[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 | 2 (first in 2012) | |||
| Best result | Group stage (2012, 2025) | |||
| COSAFA Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 19 (first in 1997) | |||
| Best result | Runners-up (2016, 2019) | |||
Medal record | ||||
The Botswana national football team (Tswana: Setlhopha sa bosetšhaba sa kgwele ya dinao sa Botswana) represents Botswana in men's international association football. It is governed by the Botswana Football Association (BFA) which was founded in 1970.
As of December 2025, the team has qualified for two editions of Africa Cup of Nations, in 2012[3] and 2025,[4] and it has not managed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. The team also participates in the regional COSAFA Cup which is open to Southern African national teams and takes place annually; Botswana's best result in the cup to date is finishing runners-up in the 2016 and 2019 editions.
History
[edit]Botswana's first unofficial match was an 8–1 loss against Malawi on 13 July 1968,[5] and they became affiliated with CAF in early 1976. Botswana's first official match was the 3–2 loss against Zambia on 30 August 1976.[6] Botswana then joined FIFA in 1978.[7]
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.
Botswana made a poor start to their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, with two losses leading many to believe they had little chance of making it to Morocco.[8] Despite this, they then picked up eight points from a possible twelve on offer, a 1–1 draw away against Egypt in their last match of the campaign sealing qualification for only their second ever Africa Cup of Nations.[9] This was despite manager Didier Gomes Da Rosa resigning to take charge of Al Ahli,[10] meaning Morena Ramoreboli took interim charge for the team's last two matches.[11]
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
2024
[edit]| 19 November 2025 AFCON qualification | Egypt  | 1–1 | Botswana | Cairo, Egypt |
| 19:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: 30 June Stadium Referee: Abdallah Jammeh (Gambia) |
2025
[edit]| 21 March 2026 World Cup qualification | Botswana | 1–3 |  Algeria | Francistown, Botswana |
| 15:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report (FIFA) Report (CAF) |
Stadium: Obed Itani Chilume Stadium Attendance: 3,278 Referee: Ahmed Arajiga (Tanzania) |
| 25 March 2026 World Cup qualification | Botswana | 2–0 |  Somalia | Francistown, Botswana |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report (FIFA) Report (CAF) |
Stadium: Obed Itani Chilume Stadium |
| 6 June 2025 COSAFA Cup | Comoros  | 0–0 | Botswana | Bloemfontein, South Africa |
| 18:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium: Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium Referee: Arnaud Zafimahatoha (Madagascar) |
| 11 June 2025 COSAFA Cup | Botswana | 3–3 |  Zambia | Bloemfontein, South Africa |
| 15:00 UTC+2 |
|
Report | Stadium: Dr. Petrus Molemela Stadium Referee: Akhona Makalima (South Africa) |
| 4 September 2026 World Cup qualification | Algeria | 3–1 | Botswana | Tizi Ouzou, Algeria |
| 20:00 UTC+1 | Report |
|
Stadium: Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium Referee: Pacifique Ndabihawenimana (Burundi) |
| 8 September 2026 World Cup qualification | Mozambique  | 2–0 | Botswana | Maputo, Mozambique |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium: Estádio do Zimpeto Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia) |
| 9 October 2026 World Cup qualification | Botswana | 0–1 |  Uganda | Francistown, Botswana |
| 18:00 UTC+2 | Report |
|
Stadium: Obed Itani Chilume Stadium Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania) |
| 14 October 2026 World Cup qualification | Guinea  | 2–2 | Botswana | Casablanca, Morocco |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Stade Mohammed V Attendance: 500 Referee: Messie Jessie Oved Nkounkou (Congo) |
| 18 December Friendly | Tunisia  | 2–1 | Botswana | Tabarka, Tunisia |
| 15:00 UTC+1 | Report |
|
Stadium: Tabarka Training Center Attendance: 0 (Behind closed doors) |
| 23 December 2025 AFCON Group Stage | Senegal  | 3–0 | Botswana | Tangier, Morocco |
| 16:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Ibn Batouta Stadium Attendance: 18,591 Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania) |
| 27 December 2025 AFCON Group Stage | Benin  | 1–0 | Botswana | Rabat, Morocco |
| 13:30 UTC+1 | Roche  28' |
Report | Stadium: Rabat Olympic Stadium Referee: Shamirah Nabadda (Uganda) |
| 30 December 2025 AFCON Group Stage | Botswana | 0–3 |  DR Congo | Rabat, Morocco |
| 20:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Al Barid Stadium Referee: Ahmad Heeralall (Mauritius) |
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 (2023-2024)
Morena Ramoreboli (2024-)
Players
[edit]Current squad
[edit]The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group G matches against Algeria and Somalia on 20 and 25 March 2025 respectively.[12]
Caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2024, after the match against Egypt.
Recent call-ups
[edit]The following players were last called up within the last twelve months.
Player records
[edit]- As of 14 October 2025[13]
- Players in bold are still active with Botswana.
Most appearances
[edit]| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mosha Gaolaolwe | 93 | 2 | 2013–present |
| 2 | Joel Mogorosi | 92 | 16 | 2005–2019 |
| 3 | Mompati Thuma | 86 | 1 | 2004–2013 |
| 4 | Modiri Marumo | 85 | 0 | 1997–2015 |
| 5 | Ndiapo Letsholathebe | 78 | 0 | 2003–2013 |
| 6 | Tshepo Motlhabankwe | 76 | 2 | 2003–2013 |
| 7 | Mogogi Gabonamong | 74 | 4 | 1999–2015 |
| 8 | Kabelo Seakanyeng | 73 | 10 | 2014–present |
| 9 | Dipsy Selolwane | 68 | 18 | 1998–2012 |
| 10 | Lemponye Tshireletso | 64 | 11 | 2009–2020 |
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 | 73 | 0.14 | 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 | 6 | 32 | 0.19 | 2017–present |
| Tumisang Orebonye | 6 | 61 | 0.1 | 2017–present |
Competitive records
[edit]FIFA World Cup
[edit]| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
|
10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 16 | |||||||||
   2030
|
To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
 2034
| |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/11 | 46 | 13 | 7 | 26 | 45 | 69 | ||||||||
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
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1990
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1992
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1994 |
Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |||||||||
| 1996
|
10 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 27 | ||||||||||
 1998
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 2000
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||
 2002
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||
| 2004
|
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 2006
|
12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 19 | ||||||||||
| 2008
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | ||||||||||
 2010
|
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | ||||||||||
  2012
|
Group stage | 16th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 2013 |
Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |||||||||
| 2015
|
8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 11 | ||||||||||
| 2017
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8 | ||||||||||
| 2019
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 8 | ||||||||||
 2021
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 9 | ||||||||||
| 2023
|
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | ||||||||||
| 2025 |
Group stage | 24th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | ||
  2027 |
To be determined | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
 2029
| ||||||||||||||||
| Total | Group stage | 2/35 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 16 | 96 | 20 | 20 | 55 | 54 | 144 | ||
COSAFA Cup
[edit]Head-to-head record
[edit]As of 30 December 2025 after match against DR Congo[14]
| Positive balance (more Wins) | |
| Neutral balance (Wins = Losses) | |
| Negative balance (more Losses) |
| Opponent |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 12 | −10 |
| Angola |
14 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 14 | −8 |
| Benin |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −1 |
| Burkina Faso |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | −4 |
 Burundi |
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | +1 |
 Central African Republic |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 |
| Cameroon |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Cape Verde |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
 Chad |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 |
 China |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 |
| Comoros |
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 |
| DR Congo |
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | −7 |
| Egypt |
8 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 12 | −10 |
| Equatorial Guinea |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | –1 |
 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 |
7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 20 | −15 |
 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 |
31 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 39 | 23 | +16 |
 Liberia |
1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 |
 Libya |
5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | −1 |
 Madagascar |
8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | −1 |
| Malawi |
25 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 21 | 47 | −26 |
| Mali |
7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 19 | −14 |
 Mauritania |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 | −6 |
| Mauritius |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | +5 |
| Morocco |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
| Mozambique |
25 | 5 | 5 | 15 | 19 | 40 | −21 |
 Namibia |
20 | 7 | 11 | 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 |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | −8 |
 Rwanda |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 Seychelles |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | +7 |
| Somalia |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 |
| South Africa |
20 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 10 | 31 | −21 |
 South Sudan |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 |
 Swaziland |
32 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 46 | 26 | +20 |
 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 |
8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 12 | −7 |
| Uganda |
7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 9 | −7 |
| Zambia |
27 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 15 | 42 | −27 |
| Zimbabwe |
19 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 23 | −14 |
| Total | 363 | 95 | 101 | 167 | 294 | 460 | −166 |
Honours
[edit]Regional
[edit]- COSAFA Cup
Runners-up (2): 2016, 2019
Awards
[edit]- African National Team of the Year (1): 2011
References
[edit]- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ^ "BBC Sport – Football – Minnows Botswana qualify for Africa Cup of Nations". BBC News. 26 March 2011. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
- ^ "Afcon 2025: Botswana, Mozambique and Tanzania round off qualifiers for finals". 19 November 2024.
- ^ "Botswana - List of International Matches". RSSSF.
- ^ "Zebras 50-year transformation". Botswana Daily News. Gaborone: Knowledge Bylanes. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
On the score-sheet were legendries in Township Rollers captain, Clement 'Muller' Mothelesi, Morwalela 'Pro' Seema, also from Rollers, and Willie 'Paymaster' Dennison from Notwane
- ^ Football, CAF – Confederation of African. "CAF – Member Associations – Botswana Football Association – Home". cafonline.com. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
- ^ "Egypt hammer hapless Botswana - 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers".
- ^ "Botswana return to AFCON after 12-year absence - Mauritania, Cape Verde miss out".
- ^ "Botswana coach details reasons for departure".
- ^ "Official: Ramoreboli Lands New Job". 23 October 2024.
- ^ "Ramoreboli Names Final Zebras Squad For World Cup Qualifiers". Botswana Football Association. 14 March 2025. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ^ "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
Squads | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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