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Botswana national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Botswana women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Botswana
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Dipitse (The Zebras)
Association BFA
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach Morena Ramoreboli Interim
Captain Thatayaone Ditlhokwe
Most caps Joel Mogorosi (92)
Top scorer Jerome Ramatlhakwane (24)
Home stadium Botswana National Stadium
FIFA code BOT
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 145 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 53 (December 2010)
Lowest 165 (November 1999 – February 2000)
Elo ranking
Current 133 Increase 15 (3 March 2019)
Highest 98 (August 2011)
Lowest 187 (March 1997)
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
Silver 2016 Namibia Team
Silver 2019 South Africa

The Botswana national football team (also known as Tswana: Setlhopha sa bosetšhaba sa kgwele ya dinao sa Botswana) is the official football team for Botswana. It was started in 1970 and is managed by the Botswana Football Association (BFA). The team is often called "The Zebras" (Dipitse in Setswana). They have played in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament twice, in 2012 and they will play again in 2025.

History of the Zebras

The Botswana national football team first tried to qualify for the World Cup in 1994. They played against teams like Niger and Ivory Coast. They managed to get a 0–0 draw against Ivory Coast in their home city of Gaborone. However, they lost their other three matches and finished last in their group.

For the 2002 World Cup, Botswana played against Zambia. Zambia won both games, so Botswana did not move forward in the competition.

Later, the team faced some tough times. They lost to Zambia and other strong teams. After a draw with Madagascar, the Botswana Football Association (BFA) decided to change their manager, Colwyn Rowe. He had helped Botswana reach their highest ever FIFA ranking of 95th at that time. The BFA said they were worried about his safety from upset fans.

Stanley Tshosane became the new manager. In his first game, Botswana won 2–1 against Mozambique away from home. Even though they drew with Ivory Coast, Botswana finished last in their group for the 2010 World Cup.

A big moment for Botswana was when they became the first team to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. They achieved this by beating Tunisia both at home and away! This success also led to their highest ever FIFA ranking of 53rd. However, at the tournament itself, they lost all their games to Ghana, Mali, and Guinea.

Botswana did not qualify for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, losing to Mali. They also missed out on the 2014 World Cup, finishing third in their group. In October 2013, manager Tshosane was replaced by Englishman Peter Butler in February 2014.

Under Butler, Botswana tried to qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, but they didn't make it. For the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, they beat Eritrea. They also won their first game against Mali, but then lost the second, so Mali went through.

In July 2017, David Bright became the manager for the Zebras for the fourth time. He led the team during the qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, but they only scored one goal in six matches.

Recently, Botswana had a tough start to their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. They lost their first two games. But then, they showed great teamwork and earned eight points from their next twelve possible points. A 1-1 draw away against Egypt in their last match secured their spot in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations! This is only their second time qualifying for this big tournament. Their manager, Didier Gomes Da Rosa, left the team, so Morena Ramoreboli took over as interim coach for the last two important matches.

Recent Matches

See also: Botswana national football team results (2020 to present)

Here are some of the recent match results for the Botswana national team, along with any upcoming games.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2023 Matches

2024 Matches

Upcoming Matches in 2025

Coaching History

Many different coaches have led the Botswana national football team over the years. Some have been caretakers, meaning they took charge for a short time.

  • South Africa Thomas Johnson (1973)
  • West Germany Rudi Gutendorf (1976)
  • Scotland Peter Cormack (1986–1987)
  • Zambia Kenny Mwape (1990–1992)
  • Zambia Freddie Mwila (1992–1994)
  • Zambia Freddie Mwila (1994–1996)
  • Botswana Michael Gaborone (1996–1997)
  • Botswana David Bright (1997–1998)
  • Botswana David Bright (1999)
  • England Jeff Butler (1999)
  • Botswana David Bright (2000)
  • Germany Karl-Heinz Marotzke (2001)
  • Serbia and Montenegro Veselin Jelušić (2002–2005)
  • Botswana David Bright (2006)
  • England Colwyn Rowe (2006–2008)
  • Botswana Stanley Tshosane (2008–2013)
  • England Peter Butler (2014–2017)
  • Botswana Mogomotsi Mpote (2017)
  • Botswana David Bright (2017–2019)
  • Botswana Mfolo Mfolo (2019)
  • Botswana Mogomotsi Mpote (2019)
  • Algeria Adel Amrouche (2019–2022)
  • Zimbabwe Rahman Gumbo (2022)
  • Botswana Mogomotsi Mpote (2022–2023)
  • France Didier Gomes Da Rosa (2023-2024)
  • South Africa Morena Ramoreboli Interim(2024-)

Players

Here are the players who are currently part of the Botswana national football team squad.

Current squad

These players were chosen for the 2024 COSAFA Cup. The numbers for how many games they've played (Caps) and goals they've scored are correct as of June 26, 2024.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Victor James (2002-08-27) 27 August 2002 (age 22) 1 0 Botswana Masitaoka
1GK Karamelo Kgosipula (2003-02-06) 6 February 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Botswana Matebele
1GK Kenneth Mmoko (1999-10-13) 13 October 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Botswana Sua Flamingoes
1GK Jovan Nikolic (2001-09-09) 9 September 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Portugal Marinhense
2DF Tebogo Kopelang (2000-04-24) 24 April 2000 (age 25) 21 0 Botswana Security Systems
2DF Kitso Mangolo (1999-01-06) 6 January 1999 (age 26) 20 1 Tanzania Ihefu
2DF Thabo Babutsi (2000-07-24) 24 July 2000 (age 24) 3 0 Botswana Township Rollers
2DF Atamelang Lesogo 1 0 Botswana Orapa United
2DF Botsile Sakana (2001-01-26) 26 January 2001 (age 24) 1 0 Botswana Masitaoka
2DF Obakeng Senono (1999-09-29) 29 September 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Botswana Masitaoka
2DF Leruo Ratala (2002-03-28) 28 March 2002 (age 23) 0 0 Botswana Gaborone United
2DF Bonno Sepako 0 0 Botswana UB Hawks
3MF Gape Thibedi (2000-02-02) 2 February 2000 (age 25) 11 0 Botswana Gaborone United
3MF Olebogeng Ramotse (1998-01-17) 17 January 1998 (age 27) 9 0 Botswana Masitaoka
3MF Tawana Mbakile (2000-07-14) 14 July 2000 (age 24) 5 0 Botswana Security Systems
3MF Obakeng Ramotlhwa (1999-07-26) 26 July 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Botswana Masitaoka
3MF Ricky Ratlhogo (2000-12-08) 8 December 2000 (age 24) 1 0 Botswana Orapa United
3MF Ofentse Mbaiwa (2003-06-10) 10 June 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Botswana Eleven Angels
3MF Boniface Ramolale (2002-04-03) 3 April 2002 (age 23) 0 0 Botswana Masitaoka
3MF Shaun Theron (2003-03-11) 11 March 2003 (age 22) 0 0 Botswana Jwaneng Galaxy
4FW Molaodi Tlhalefang (1997-07-07) 7 July 1997 (age 27) 11 2 Botswana Miscellaneous SC Serowe
4FW Eric Ookame (2001-04-03) 3 April 2001 (age 24) 4 0 Botswana Eleven Angels
4FW Oarabile Sekwai (1998-11-28) 28 November 1998 (age 26) 4 0 Botswana Police XI
4FW Lizo Skweyiya (2004-01-01) 1 January 2004 (age 21) 4 0 South Africa Orlando Pirates
4FW Thabiso Bante (1995-04-25) 25 April 1995 (age 30) 2 0 Botswana TAFIC
4FW Tshepo Keselebale 2 0 Botswana Security Systems
4FW Bame Morwalela (1999-03-25) 25 March 1999 (age 26) 2 1 Botswana Township Rollers

Recent Call-ups

These players were also called to play for the team in the last year.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Kabelo Dambe (1990-05-10) 10 May 1990 (age 35) 63 0 Botswana Township Rollers v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
GK Goitseone Phoko (1994-12-13) 13 December 1994 (age 30) 27 1 Botswana Gaborone United v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
GK Thabo Motswagole (2000-04-22) 22 April 2000 (age 25) 1 0 Botswana Masitaoka v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
DF Mosha Gaolaolwe (1993-12-25) 25 December 1993 (age 31) 79 2 Botswana Township Rollers v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
DF Thatayaone Ditlhokwe (1998-09-21) 21 September 1998 (age 26) 31 2 South Africa Kaizer Chiefs v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
DF Alfred Velaphi (1999-01-18) 18 January 1999 (age 26) 23 0 Botswana Gaborone United v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
DF Motsholetsi Sikele (1991-12-01) 1 December 1991 (age 33) 4 0 Botswana Township Rollers v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
DF Mothusi Johnson (1997-07-28) 28 July 1997 (age 27) 24 0 Botswana Gaborone United v.  Burundi, 25 March 2024
DF Thato Kebue (1997-05-29) 29 May 1997 (age 28) 34 2 Botswana Gaborone United v.  Guinea, 21 November 2023
MF Gape Mohutsiwa (1997-03-20) 20 March 1997 (age 28) 22 2 Algeria ASO Chlef v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
MF Godiraone Modingwane (1996-06-26) 26 June 1996 (age 28) 19 0 Botswana Botswana Defence Force v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
MF Gilbert Baruti (1992-03-16) 16 March 1992 (age 33) 9 0 Botswana Jwaneng Galaxy v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
MF Phenyo Serameng (1996-09-27) 27 September 1996 (age 28) 4 0 Botswana Township Rollers v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
MF Koketso Majafi (1992-11-07) 7 November 1992 (age 32) 1 0 Botswana Orapa United v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
MF Mpho Kgaswane (1994-06-13) 13 June 1994 (age 31) 21 2 Botswana Gaborone United v.  Burundi, 25 March 2024
MF Christopher Lemme (1995-11-05) 5 November 1995 (age 29) 3 0 Botswana Security Systems v.  Burundi, 25 March 2024
MF Thabo Leinanyane (1993-07-27) 27 July 1993 (age 31) 17 0 Botswana Jwaneng Galaxy v.  Mozambique, 8 January 2024
MF Lebogang Ditsele (1996-04-20) 20 April 1996 (age 29) 54 3 Botswana Gaborone United v.  Guinea, 21 November 2023
MF Mothusi Cooper (1997-07-19) 19 July 1997 (age 27) 25 0 Botswana Gaborone United v.  Guinea, 21 November 2023
MF Brandon Wilson (1997-01-28) 28 January 1997 (age 28) 0 0 Indonesia Bali United v.  Guinea, 21 November 2023
MF Gofaone Mabaya (1995-08-31) 31 August 1995 (age 29) 18 0 Botswana Orapa United v.  Zimbabwe, 30 September 2023
MF Lemogang Maswena (1991-02-05) 5 February 1991 (age 34) 7 1 Botswana Jwaneng Galaxy v.  Zimbabwe, 30 September 2023
MF Thabang Aphiri (2003-08-03) 3 August 2003 (age 21) 1 0 Botswana Jwaneng Galaxy v.  Zimbabwe, 30 September 2023
FW Kabelo Seakanyeng (1993-06-25) 25 June 1993 (age 31) 61 10 Morocco Olympique Khouribga v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
FW Tumisang Orebonye (1996-03-26) 26 March 1996 (age 29) 48 5 Morocco AS FAR v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
FW Segolame Boy (1992-11-07) 7 November 1992 (age 32) 40 4 Botswana Township Rollers v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
FW Thabang Sesinyi (1992-10-15) 15 October 1992 (age 32) 23 3 Botswana Jwaneng Galaxy v.  Somalia, 10 June 2024
FW Thatayaone Kgamanyane (1996-01-30) 30 January 1996 (age 29) 26 5 Botswana Gaborone United v.  Mozambique, 8 January 2024
FW Monty Enosa (2004-02-06) 6 February 2004 (age 21) 5 0 Botswana Masitaoka v.  Zimbabwe, 30 September 2023

Player Records

These tables show the players with the most appearances and the top goalscorers for the Botswana national team. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for 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
Mosha Gaolaolwe 85 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 Kabelo Seakanyeng 67 10 2014–present
10 Lemponye Tshireletso 64 11 2009–2020

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
Kabelo Seakanyeng 10 67 0.15 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 Tumisang Orebonye 6 54 0.11 2017–present

Tournament Records

Here you can see how the Botswana national team has performed in major football tournaments.

FIFA World Cup

This table shows Botswana's history in the FIFA World Cup and its qualification matches.

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
United States 1994 Did not qualify 4 0 1 3 1 9
France 1998 Did not enter Did not enter
South Korea Japan 2002 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 0 2
Germany 2006 12 4 1 7 14 19
South Africa 2010 6 1 2 3 3 8
Brazil 2014 6 2 1 3 8 10
Russia 2018 4 3 0 1 7 4
Qatar 2022 2 0 1 1 0 1
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 4 2 0 2 6 5
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total 0/11 40 12 6 22 39 58

Africa Cup of Nations

Main article: Botswana at the Africa Cup of Nations

This table shows Botswana's history in the Africa Cup of Nations and its qualification matches.

Africa Cup of Nations record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Sudan 1957 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
United Arab Republic 1959
Ethiopia 1962
Ghana 1963
Tunisia 1965
Ethiopia 1968 Not affiliated to CAF Not affiliated to CAF
Sudan 1970
Egypt 1974
Ethiopia 1976
Ghana 1978 Did not enter Did not enter
Nigeria 1980
Libya 1982
Ivory Coast 1984
Egypt 1986
Morocco 1988
Algeria 1990
Senegal 1992
Tunisia 1994 Did not qualify 2 0 1 1 0 4
South Africa 1996 10 0 2 8 5 27
Burkina Faso 1998 2 0 1 1 0 6
Ghana Nigeria 2000 2 0 1 1 1 2
Mali 2002 2 1 0 1 1 3
Tunisia 2004 6 0 3 3 2 6
Egypt 2006 12 4 1 7 14 19
Ghana 2008 6 2 1 3 3 7
Angola 2010 6 1 2 3 3 8
Equatorial Guinea Gabon 2012 Group stage 14th 3 0 0 3 2 9 8 5 2 1 7 3
South Africa 2013 Did not qualify 2 0 0 2 1 7
Equatorial Guinea 2015 8 1 2 5 2 11
Gabon 2017 6 2 0 4 5 8
Egypt 2019 6 0 1 5 1 8
Cameroon 2021 6 1 1 4 2 9
Ivory Coast 2023 6 1 1 4 3 9
Morocco 2025 Qualified 6 2 2 2 4 7
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027 To be determined To be determined
2029
Total Group stage 1/34 3 0 0 3 2 9 96 20 20 55 54 144

COSAFA Cup

Main article: COSAFA Cup

The COSAFA Cup is a football tournament for teams in Southern Africa. Botswana has been the runner-up twice, in 2016 and 2019.

Head-to-Head Records

This table shows how Botswana has performed against other national teams. The results are updated as of November 19, 2024.

Key
Positive balance (more Wins)
Neutral balance (Wins = Losses)
Negative balance (more Losses)
Opponent
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Algeria 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6
 Angola 14 2 6 6 6 14 −8
 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 4 2 1 1 3 2 +1
 DR Congo 5 0 3 2 0 4 −4
 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 6 1 0 5 3 18 −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 24 5 5 14 19 38 −19
 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 2 0 0 2 0 5 −5
 Rwanda 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Seychelles 4 4 0 0 8 1 +7
 Somalia 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2
 South Africa 20 0 6 14 10 31 −21
 South Sudan 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3
 Swaziland 31 16 10 5 45 25 +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 6 0 2 4 2 8 −6
 Zambia 26 4 7 15 12 39 −27
 Zimbabwe 19 4 5 10 9 23 −14
Total 351 94 97 160 284 438 −154

Honours

Regional Awards

  • COSAFA Cup
    • Runners-up (2): 2016, 2019

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Botsuana para niños

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