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Namibia national football team facts for kids

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This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Namibia women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Namibia
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) Brave Warriors
Association Namibia Football Association (NFA)
Confederation CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach Collin Benjamin
Captain Peter Shalulile
Most caps Denzil Haoseb (83)
Top scorer Peter Shalulile (17)
Home stadium Independence Stadium
FIFA code NAM
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 110 Increase 1 (7 February 2019)
Highest 68 (November 1998)
Lowest 167 (July 2006)
Elo ranking
Current 111 Increase 4 (3 March 2019)
Highest 100 (12 September 1998)
Lowest 165 (22 July 2006)
First international
South Africa South-West Africa 0–1 Angola 
(Namibia; 16 May 1989)
Biggest win
 Namibia 6–0 Botswana 
(Windhoek, Namibia; 25 August 1996)
 Namibia 8–2 Benin 
(Windhoek, Namibia; 15 July 2000)
Biggest defeat
 Egypt 7–1 Namibia 
(Cairo, Egypt; 8 November 1996)
 Egypt 8–2 Namibia 
(Alexandria, Egypt; 13 July 2001)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances 4 (first in 1998)
Best result Round of 16 (2023)
African Nations Championship
Appearances 2 (first in 2018)
Best result Quarter-finals (2018)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances 19 (first in 1997)
Best result Champions (2015)
Medal record
COSAFA Cup
Gold 2015 South Africa
Silver 1997 Southern Africa
Silver 1999 Southern Africa
Silver 2024 South Africa

The Namibia national football team, also known as the Brave Warriors, represents Namibia in men's international football. The Namibia Football Association controls the team. They play against other countries in matches organized by FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The Brave Warriors have never played in the FIFA World Cup. However, they have competed four times in the Africa Cup of Nations, which is a big tournament for African teams.

Team History and Achievements

Early Matches and First Wins

Namibia played its first international match on May 16, 1989. They were called South-West Africa then. They lost 1–0 to their neighbor, Angola. Just two days after Namibia became independent from South Africa on March 23, 1990, they played Zimbabwe at home and lost 5–1.

Namibia got their first ever draw on August 2, 1992, with a 2–2 tie against Lesotho. Their first win came on July 1, 1994, when they beat Botswana 1–0 away from home. In 1998, Namibia played their first match outside Africa against a non-African team, losing 2–1 to Saudi Arabia in France.

2021-07-15 Fußball, 3. Liga, Teamfotos FSV Zwickau 1DX 6333 by Stepro
Manfred Starke played his first game for Namibia in 2012.

Africa Cup of Nations Appearances

Namibia has played in the Africa Cup of Nations four times. In their first three tournaments, they did not make it past the first round.

  • In 1998, they lost to Ivory Coast and South Africa. They also had a 3–3 draw with Angola.
  • In 2008, they lost to Morocco and Ghana. They drew 1–1 with Guinea.
  • In 2019, they lost all their group games. They scored only one goal in total.
  • In the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Namibia reached the Round of 16 for the first time! They lost 3–0 to Angola in that round.

Key Players and Records

The player with the most appearances for the Brave Warriors is defender Denzil Haoseb, who has played 83 games. The all-time top goal scorer is Peter Shalulile, with 17 goals. He reached this record in a match against Cameroon in March 2023.

Recent Matches and Upcoming Games

Main article: Namibia national football team results (2020–present)

Here are some of the recent and upcoming matches for the Namibia national football team.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

Matches in 2024

  • January 8: Friendly match against Ghana (0–0 Draw).
  • January 16: 2023 AFCON group stage match against Tunisia (1–0 Win). Deon Hotto scored the winning goal.
  • January 21: 2023 AFCON group stage match against South Africa (4–0 Loss).
  • January 24: 2023 AFCON group stage match against Mali (0–0 Draw).
  • January 27: 2023 AFCON Round of 16 match against Angola (3–0 Loss).
  • June 1: Friendly match against Lesotho (1–1 Draw).
  • June 5: World Cup Qualifier against Liberia (1–1 Draw). Tjipe Karuuombe scored for Namibia.
  • June 9: World Cup Qualifier against Tunisia (0–0 Draw).
  • June 28: 2024 COSAFA Cup match against Angola (0–0 Draw).
  • July 1: 2024 COSAFA Cup match against Lesotho (2–1 Win). Ivan Kamberipa and Bethuel Muzeu scored.
  • July 3: 2024 COSAFA Cup match against Seychelles (3–1 Win). Bethuel Muzeu scored twice, and Erastus Kulula added another goal.
  • July 5: 2024 COSAFA Cup Semi-final against Mozambique (0–0 Draw, Namibia won 4–2 on penalties).
  • July 7: 2024 COSAFA Cup Final against Angola (5–0 Loss). Namibia finished as runners-up.
  • October 26: African Nations Championship Qualifier against Lesotho (1–0 Loss).
  • November 3: African Nations Championship Qualifier against Lesotho (1–0 Win, but lost 4–3 on penalties). Lawrence Doeseb scored.

Upcoming Matches in 2025

  • March 20: World Cup Qualifier against Malawi (1–0 Win). Prins Tjiueza scored.
  • March 24: World Cup Qualifier against Equatorial Guinea (1–1 Draw). Peter Shalulile scored.
  • September: World Cup Qualifier against Malawi.
  • September: World Cup Qualifier against São Tomé and Príncipe.
  • October: World Cup Qualifier against Liberia.
  • October: World Cup Qualifier against Tunisia.

Coaching the Brave Warriors

Collin Benjamin 1860 2011 2
Collin Benjamin became the manager of Namibia's national football team in 2022.

Many different coaches have led the Namibia national football team over the years. Some have been from Namibia, while others have come from different countries. The current coach, Collin Benjamin, took over in 2022.

  • Namibia Eric Muinjo (1992–1993)
  • Zimbabwe Shepherd Murape (1994–1995)
  • Namibia Ruston Mogane (1997–1998)
  • Namibia Mlungisi Ngubane (1998)
  • Namibia Seth Boois (1998–1999)
  • Germany Heinz-Peter Überjahn (1999)
  • Namibia Herman Katjiuongua (2000)
  • Namibia Lucky Richter (2000)
  • Romania Ted Dumitru (2000–2003)
  • Zimbabwe Shepherd Murape (2004)
  • Zambia Ben Bamfuchile (2006–2007)
  • Netherlands Arie Schans (2007–2008)
  • Belgium Tom Saintfiet (2008–2010)
  • Namibia Brian Isaacs (2010–2011)
  • Namibia Bernard Kaanjuka (2011–2013)
  • Sweden Roger Palmgren (2013)
  • Namibia Ricardo Mannetti (2013–2015)
  • Namibia Fillemon Kanalelo (2015)
  • Namibia Ricardo Mannetti (2015–2019)
  • Namibia Bobby Samaria (2019–2021)
  • Namibia Collin Benjamin (2022–present)

Player Information

Current Team Squad

These are the players who were called up for the World Cup qualification matches in March 2025. The numbers for games played (caps) and goals scored are correct as of March 24, 2025.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Lloyd Kazapua (1989-03-25) 25 March 1989 (age 36) 44 0 South Africa Sekhukhune United
1GK Edward Maova (1994-09-05) 5 September 1994 (age 30) 20 0 South Africa Lamontville Golden Arrows
1GK Kamaijanda Ndisiro (1999-12-01) 1 December 1999 (age 25) 12 0 South Africa Highbury
2DF Riaan Hanamub (1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 (age 30) 54 0 South Africa AmaZulu
2DF Charles Hambira (1990-06-03) 3 June 1990 (age 35) 46 3 Namibia African Stars
2DF Ivan Kamberipa (1994-02-03) 3 February 1994 (age 31) 46 1 Botswana Orapa United
2DF Ngero Katua (2001-07-25) 25 July 2001 (age 24) 21 0 Namibia African Stars
2DF Sergio Damaseb (2000-02-13) 13 February 2000 (age 25) 5 0 Namibia Mighty Gunners
2DF Bonifasius Josef (1997-05-13) 13 May 1997 (age 28) 1 0 Namibia UNAM
2DF Tuhafeni David (2001-02-05) 5 February 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Namibia Blue Waters
2DF Sisqo Haraseb (2001-03-10) 10 March 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Namibia Mighty Gunners
2DF Johannes Mutanga (1993-02-15) 15 February 1993 (age 32) 0 0 Namibia Blue Waters
3MF Aprocius Petrus (1999-10-09) 9 October 1999 (age 25) 48 0 South Africa Cape Town City
3MF Dynamo Fredericks (1992-04-04) 4 April 1992 (age 33) 47 1 Botswana Jwaneng Galaxy
3MF Prins Tjiueza (2002-03-12) 12 March 2002 (age 23) 22 2 South Africa Cape Town City
3MF Paulus Amutenya (2002-07-22) 22 July 2002 (age 23) 14 0 Namibia UNAM
3MF Moses Shidolo (1998-05-20) 20 May 1998 (age 27) 11 0 Botswana Matebele
4FW Deon Hotto (1990-10-29) 29 October 1990 (age 34) 82 12 South Africa Orlando Pirates
4FW Willy Stephanus (1991-06-26) 26 June 1991 (age 34) 65 3 Namibia African Stars
4FW Peter Shalulile (1993-03-23) 23 March 1993 (age 32) 62 17 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns
4FW Elmo Kambindu (1993-05-26) 26 May 1993 (age 32) 31 9 South Africa AmaZulu
4FW Bethuel Muzeu (2000-02-22) 22 February 2000 (age 25) 29 4 South Africa Black Leopards
4FW Joslin Kamatuka (1991-07-22) 22 July 1991 (age 34) 28 3 South Africa Durban City
4FW Leevi Alfeus (2001-01-18) 18 January 2001 (age 24) 0 0 Namibia Eeshoke Chula Chula

Players Called Up Recently

These players have been called to the national team in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Jonas Mateus (1996-02-10) 10 February 1996 (age 29) 0 0 Namibia Ongos Valley v.  Zimbabwe; 10 October 2024PRE
GK Branco Rukoro (2005-05-01) 1 May 2005 (age 20) 0 0 Namibia Desert Rollers 2024 COSAFA Cup
DF Vitapi Ngaruka (1995-10-16) 16 October 1995 (age 29) 19 1 Namibia African Stars v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
DF Tuli Nashixwa (2002-05-23) 23 May 2002 (age 23) 7 0 Namibia Ramblers v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
DF Kennedy Eib (1997-05-15) 15 May 1997 (age 28) 4 0 Namibia Eeshoke Chula Chula v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
DF David Aingwafa Unknown 2 0 Namibia Eeshoke Chula Chula v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
DF Abubakir Arend (2002-03-17) 17 March 2002 (age 23) 1 0 Namibia Blue Waters v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
DF Erasmus Ikeinge (1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 (age 30) 4 0 Namibia Khomas NAMPOL v.  Lesotho; 3 November 2024
DF Kennedy Amutenya (1996-07-15) 15 July 1996 (age 29) 18 0 Botswana Gaborone United v.  Zimbabwe; 14 October 2024
DF Ndjiraeree Maharero (1994-05-28) 28 May 1994 (age 31) 3 0 Namibia African Stars 2024 COSAFA Cup
MF Lawrence Doeseb (2003-06-04) 4 June 2003 (age 22) 5 1 Namibia Life Fighters v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
MF Devin Somseb (1995-05-29) 29 May 1995 (age 30) 4 0 Namibia United Africa Tigers v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
MF Mbakondja Tjahikika (2000-08-02) 2 August 2000 (age 25) 2 0 Namibia African Stars v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
MF Simon Elago (2002-10-07) 7 October 2002 (age 22) 5 0 Namibia Tura Magic v.  Lesotho; 3 November 2024
MF Romeo Kasume (1997-10-21) 21 October 1997 (age 27) 12 0 Kosovo Liria Prizren v.  Zimbabwe; 14 October 2024
MF Tjipe Karuuombe (2001-09-21) 21 September 2001 (age 23) 10 1 Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi v.  Kenya; 10 September 2024
MF Edmar Kamatuka (2002-07-26) 26 July 2002 (age 23) 9 0 Namibia UNAM v.  Kenya; 10 September 2024
MF Dawid Ndeunyema (2002-08-22) 22 August 2002 (age 22) 5 0 Namibia Blue Waters v.  Kenya; 10 September 2024
MF Ben Richard Namib (1999-08-20) 20 August 1999 (age 25) 5 0 Namibia Khomas NAMPOL v.  Cambodia; 7 September 2024PRE
MF Edmund Kambanda (1993-02-25) 25 February 1993 (age 32) 13 1 Namibia African Stars 2024 COSAFA Cup
FW Fares Haidula (1993-10-17) 17 October 1993 (age 31) 6 0 Namibia Eeshoke Chula Chula v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
FW Godwin Eiseb (2000-05-04) 4 May 2000 (age 25) 4 1 Namibia African Stars v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
FW Rewaldo Prins (2003-02-25) 25 February 2003 (age 22) 0 0 South Africa Marumo Gallants v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
FW Erastus Kulula (1997-02-27) 27 February 1997 (age 28) 9 1 Kosovo Liria Prizren v.  Zimbabwe; 14 October 2024
FW George Frans (1998-11-01) 1 November 1998 (age 26) 0 0 Namibia Khomas NAMPOL v.  Cambodia; 7 September 2024PRE

DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up.
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
PRE Preliminary squad.
RET Player has retired from international football.
SUS Suspended from the national team.

Past Tournament Squads

  • 1998 Africa Cup of Nations squad
  • 2008 Africa Cup of Nations squad
  • 2019 Africa Cup of Nations squad
  • 2023 Africa Cup of Nations squad

Player Records and Statistics

Here are some interesting facts about the players who have played the most games or scored the most goals for Namibia. Players whose names are in bold are still playing for the national team.

Most Games Played

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Denzil Haoseb 83 0 2011–present
2 Deon Hotto 80 12 2013–present
3 Petrus Shitembi 79 4 2011–present
4 Ronald Ketjijere 69 2 2010–2019
5 Ananias Gebhardt 65 2 2011–present
6 Absalom Iimbondi 64 7 2015–present
Willy Stephanus 64 3 2011–present
8 Johannes Hindjou 63 10 1996–2005
9 Larry Horaeb 61 0 2011–2021
10 Mohamed Ouseb 60 3 1994–2004
Peter Shalulile 60 16 2014–present

Top Goal Scorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Peter Shalulile 16 60 0.27 2014–present
2 Rudolph Bester 13 46 0.28 2004–2014
3 Deon Hotto 12 80 0.15 2013–present
4 Gervatius Urikhob 11 40 0.28 1993–2003
5 Johannes Hindjou 10 63 0.16 1996–2005
7 Elmo Kambindu 9 30 0.3 2019–present
Benson Shilongo 9 34 0.26 2011–2021
Eliphas Shivute 9 37 0.24 1993–2001
9 Hendrik Somaeb 8 31 0.28 2011–2019
Ruben van Wyk 8 33 0.24 1994–2002

Tournament Records

FIFA World Cup Record

Namibia has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1990 Part of  South Africa Part of  South Africa
United States 1994 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 0 12
France 1998 8 2 2 4 9 18
South Korea Japan 2002 10 1 3 6 7 27
Germany 2006 2 0 1 1 1 4
South Africa 2010 6 2 0 4 7 12
Brazil 2014 8 3 2 3 10 4
Russia 2018 4 1 1 2 3 5
Qatar 2022 8 3 2 3 9 11
Canada Mexico United States 2026 Qualification ongoing 6 2 3 1 7 3
Total – 0/8 – – – – – – 56 14 14 28 53 96

Africa Cup of Nations Record

Namibia has played in the Africa Cup of Nations four times.

Africa Cup of Nations record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Sudan
1957
to
Algeria
1990		 Part of  South Africa
Senegal
1992
to
Tunisia
1994		 Did not enter
South Africa 1996 Did not qualify
Burkina Faso
1998		 Group stage 14 3 0 1 2 7 11
Ghana
Nigeria
2000		 Did not qualify
Mali
2002
Tunisia
2004
Egypt
2006
Ghana
2008		 Group stage 10 3 0 1 2 2 7
Angola
2010		 Did not qualify
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
2012
South Africa
2013
Equatorial Guinea
2015
Gabon
2017
Egypt
2019		 Group stage 23rd 3 0 0 3 1 6
Cameroon
2021		 Did not qualify
Ivory Coast
2023		 Round of 16 15th 4 1 1 2 1 7
Morocco
2025		 Did not qualify
Kenya
Tanzania
Uganda
2027		 To be determined
2029
Total Round of 16 4/35 13 1 3 9 11 31

African Nations Championship Record

Namibia has participated in the African Nations Championship twice.

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 2
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009 Did not qualify
Sudan 2011
South Africa 2014
Rwanda 2016
Morocco 2018 Quarter-finals 7th 4 2 1 1 3 3
Cameroon 2020 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 0 4
Algeria 2022 Did not enter
Total Quarter-finals 2/7 7 2 2 3 3 7

COSAFA Cup Record

Main article: COSAFA Cup

Namibia won the COSAFA Cup once in 2015. They have also been runners-up four times.

Matches Against Other Countries

This table shows how Namibia has performed against other national teams. It was last updated on March 24, 2025.

      Positive Record       Neutral Record       Negative Record

Opponent
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Algeria 4 0 0 4 0 7 −7
 Angola 16 0 7 9 9 25 −16
 Benin 2 1 0 1 8 4 +4
 Botswana 20 2 11 7 18 19 −1
 Burkina Faso 3 0 0 3 2 11 −9
 Burundi 4 1 1 2 7 8 –1
 Chad 4 3 0 1 7 4 +3
 Cameroon 6 1 2 3 3 8 −5
 Comoros 5 3 1 1 8 2 +6
 Congo 6 1 2 3 3 9 −6
 Djibouti 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4
 DR Congo 3 1 1 1 7 4 +3
 Egypt 6 0 1 5 6 23 −17
 Eritrea 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3
 Ethiopia 2 2 0 0 4 2 +2
 Equatorial Guinea 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Gabon 2 0 2 0 2 2 0
 Gambia 4 2 1 1 5 5 0
 Ghana 3 0 1 2 0 2 −2
 Guinea 10 1 2 7 4 19 −15
 Guinea-Bissau 2 0 1 1 0 1 −1
 India 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
 Ivory Coast 6 2 1 3 8 13 −5
 Kenya 8 4 1 3 6 5 +1
 Lebanon 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Lesotho 13 5 5 3 15 14 +1
 Liberia 2 1 3 1 3 3 0
 Libya 2 1 0 1 2 2 0
 Madagascar 8 4 1 3 11 10 +1
 Malawi 17 9 4 4 22 16 +6
 Mali 8 1 3 4 4 8 −4
 Mauritius 4 2 0 2 5 4 +1
 Morocco 7 0 1 6 2 15 −13
 Mozambique 20 10 6 4 25 14 +11
 Niger 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1
 Nigeria 4 0 1 3 1 8 −7
 Rwanda 4 0 3 1 3 6 −3
 São Tomé and Príncipe 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2
 Saudi Arabia 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2
 Senegal 8 1 0 7 5 24 −19
 Seychelles 7 4 3 0 15 5 +10
 South Africa 14 1 5 8 10 27 −17
 Swaziland 9 1 4 4 8 10 −2
 Tanzania 4 0 2 2 1 4 −3
 Togo 2 1 0 1 1 1 0
 Tunisia 6 2 1 3 3 8 −5
 Zambia 22 2 11 9 11 27 −16
 Zimbabwe 15 7 0 8 26 29 –3
Total 303 80 89 134 294 413 −119

Team Honours and Awards

Regional Competitions

  • COSAFA Cup
    • Winners (1): 2015
    • Runners-up (4): 1997, 1999, 2022, 2024

See also

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