Development

COSAFA Cup 2021, Botswana, South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho in Group A

Jun 17, 2021

GABORONE, Botswana – Following the just-ended 2021 COSAFA Cup draw held at the host city Port Elizabeth, South Africa today (Thursday, June 17), the Botswana senior national team, Zebras has been drawn against South Africa, eSwatini and Lesotho in Group A as preparations for the historic 20th edition of the regional showpiece competition kick into gear.

Today’s draw, which was live on COSAFA TV, from 11h00 was conducted by former COSAFA legends, Sipho Ndzuzo, Daine Klate, Frank Schoeman, Elrio van Heerden and Khayalethu Ngangqu during an event held at Southern Sun Marine Hotel in Port Elizabeth, South Africa today.

The 12-team tournament will take place from July 7-18 and returns after the 2020 edition had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Group B is Zambia, Malawi, Madagascar, Comoros while Senegal, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia all form part of Group C.

Reacting to the draw, Zebras assistant coach Letang Kgwengwenyane said, “It’s a good draw, we will select a team that will us represent in two forms, one for the competition and the other for development. We were runners up last time. We had eliminated South Africa, Lesotho and eSwatini knows us. However, we are going there with full respect to all our opponents. This is truly a big one, it’s the 20th edition. The boys’ morale is high ahead of the competition, and we are going to do our best to shine,” said Kgwengwenyane.

The tourney will see all top teams in every group proceeding to the semifinals and the best second placed finisher. This year’s edition has Senegal as a guest nation.

The host province; the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality was represented by MEC Department of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Gugulethu Adam, Manager,Sport Development Nelson Mandela Metro: Deputy Mayor Luxolo Namette, Nelson Mandela Metro: MMC (Member of the Mayoral Committee of Sport) Helga van Staden, Nelson Mandela Metro: Director: Sport and Recreation, SAFA EC Chairman, Mzimkhulu Fina, SAFA NMB President: Simpiwe Mkhangelwa, Chairman of Organising Committee: Cosafa Competition, Timothy Shongwe.

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Development

The Mares Display Heart In Tri Nations Challenge

Botswana’s senior women’s national football team recently concluded their campaign in the prestigious Three Nations Challenge, hosted by South Africa from 28 May to 3 June at the Lucas Moripe Stadium. The series saw spirited competition between Botswana, South Africa, and Zambia, as teams continued their preparations for the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifiers.

Despite narrowly missing out on the top prize, Botswana showed immense character and growth throughout the tournament. The Mares kicked off their campaign with a thrilling encounter against the African champions South Africa, narrowly going down 3-2 in a tightly contested match. The team bounced back with a determined performance against Zambia, securing a 1-1 draw and demonstrating resilience and tactical discipline.

Final Tournament Results:

South Africa 3–2 Botswana

Botswana 1–1 Zambia

South Africa 2–0 Zambia

South Africa’s Banyana Banyana were ultimately crowned champions of the series, winning both of their matches to take the top spot. The tournament offered valuable game time and experience for all participating nations, and Botswana’s technical team, led by Head Coach Alex Malete, will take key insights from these fixtures as they refine the squad for the crucial WAFCON fianals.