Botswana national football team
Encyclopedia
The Botswana national football team, nicknamed 'The Zebras' (Setswana
: Dipitse tsa naga literally meaning 'Wild horses') is the national football team of Botswana
and is controlled by the Botswana Football Association
. They have never qualified for the World Cup
but they have qualified for the 2012 African Nations Cup. They became the first team to qualify for the tournament on March 26, 2011, following a rapid upturn in form and rise up the FIFA rankings.
have thrice entered the FIFA World Cup
preliminary stages, it took them nearly 11 years after playing their first match to register their first victory, a 4–1 victory in the African pre-preliminary qualifying rounds for Germany 2006 against Lesotho
.
The southern African nation took part in their first preliminary competition for the 1994 finals in the USA, where they faced Niger
and Cote d'Ivoire
. 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 Korea-Japan 2002, where they faced Zambia
in a two-legged tie to decide which team would advance to the group stages. Zambia won both matches to qualify, while Botswana were knocked out.
Recently Botswana had 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. In the first match in the World Cup 2006 and African Cup of Nations 2008 qualifiers, Botswana drew at home with a Madagascar side ranked 146th in the world at the time, leading Botswana FA to sack manager Colwyn Rowe despite his leading Botswana to their highest ever ranking of 95th. 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; on their next fixture, they took everyone by surprise by holding Cote d'Ivoire to a 1–1 draw.
¹ Results from Botswana view
on 19th January 2011.
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
(1976) Peter Cormack
(1986–1987) Karl-Heinz Marotzke
Veselin Jelušić
(2002–2006) Colwyn Rowe
(2006–2008) Stanley Tshosane (2008–present)
Tswana language
Tswana or Setswana is a language spoken in Southern Africa by about 4.5 million people. It is a Bantu language belonging to the Niger–Congo language family within the Sotho languages branch of Zone S , and is closely related to the Northern- and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalagadi...
: Dipitse tsa naga literally meaning 'Wild horses') is the national football team of Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
and is controlled by the Botswana Football Association
Botswana Football Association
The Botswana Football Association is the governing body of football in Botswana. It was founded in 1970, and affiliated to FIFA and to CAF in 1976. It organizes national football leagues and the national team....
. They have never qualified for the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
but they have qualified for the 2012 African Nations Cup. They became the first team to qualify for the tournament on March 26, 2011, following a rapid upturn in form and rise up the FIFA rankings.
History
Although BotswanaBotswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
have thrice entered the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
preliminary stages, it took them nearly 11 years after playing their first match to register their first victory, a 4–1 victory in the African pre-preliminary qualifying rounds for Germany 2006 against Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
.
The southern African nation took part in their first preliminary competition for the 1994 finals in the USA, where they faced Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
and Cote d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
. They managed a 0–0 draw with the latter in Gaborone
Gaborone
' is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 191,776 based on a 2006 survey, about 10% of the total population of Botswana....
but lost their other three matches, finishing last in their group.
The next competition they entered was for Korea-Japan 2002, where they faced Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
in a two-legged tie to decide which team would advance to the group stages. Zambia won both matches to qualify, while Botswana were knocked out.
Recently Botswana had 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. In the first match in the World Cup 2006 and African Cup of Nations 2008 qualifiers, Botswana drew at home with a Madagascar side ranked 146th in the world at the time, leading Botswana FA to sack manager Colwyn Rowe despite his leading Botswana to their highest ever ranking of 95th. 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; on their next fixture, they took everyone by surprise by holding Cote d'Ivoire to a 1–1 draw.
World Cup record
- 19301930 FIFA World CupThe 1930 FIFA World Cup was the inaugural FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Uruguay from 13 July to 30 July 1930...
to 19901990 FIFA World CupThe 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
– Did not enter - 19941994 FIFA World CupThe 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
– Did not qualify - 19981998 FIFA World CupThe 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
– Did not enter - 20022002 FIFA World CupThe 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
to 20102010 FIFA World CupThe 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
– Did not qualify
Africa Cup of Nations record
- 1957 to 1992 – Did not enter
- 1994 to 2010 – Did not qualify
- 2012 – Qualified
Schedule and recent results
The following is a list of matches from the past six months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.| Date | City | Opponent | Results¹ | Type of game |
| 19 January 2011 | Cape Town Cape Town Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality... |
 Sweden SwedenSweden national football team The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first... |
1–2 | Friendly |
| 9 February 2011 | Maputo Maputo Maputo, also known as Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its... |
 Mozambique MozambiqueMozambique national football team The Mozambique national football team , popularly known as Os Mambas, represents Mozambique in association football and is controlled by the Federação Moçambicana de Futebol, the governing body for football in Mozambique... |
1–1 | Friendly |
| 16 March 2011 | Maun Maun Maun is the fifth largest town in Botswana. As of 2001, it had a population of 43,776. It is an eclectic mix of modern buildings and native huts. Maun is the "tourism capital" of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland district... |
 Namibia NamibiaNamibia national football team The Namibia national football team, nicknamed the Brave Warriors, is the national team of Namibia and is controlled by the Namibia Football Association... |
1–1 | Friendly |
| 25 March 2011 | N'djamena N'Djamena N'Djamena is the capital and largest city of Chad. A port on the Chari River, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroonian town of Kousséri, to which the city is connected by a bridge. It is also a special statute region, divided in 10 arrondissements. It is a... |
 Chad ChadChad national football team The Chad national football team, nicknamed Sao, represents Chad in international football. The team is controlled by the Fédération Tchadienne de Football, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2009 by Sherif El-Khashab... |
1–0 | 2012 ACN q |
| 30 March 2011 | Marrakech Marrakech Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history... |
 Morocco MoroccoMorocco national football team The Morocco national football team , nicknamed أسود الأطلس , is the national team of Morocco and is managed by Eric Gerets. Winners of the African Nations Cup in 1976, they were the first African team to win a group at the World Cup, which they did in 1986, finishing ahead of Portugal, Poland, and... |
1–1 | Friendly |
| 3 June 2011 | Gaborone Gaborone ' is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 191,776 based on a 2006 survey, about 10% of the total population of Botswana.... |
 Malawi MalawiMalawi national football team The Malawi national football team, nicknamed The Flames, is the national team of Malawi and is controlled by the Football Association of Malawi. Before 1966 they were known as the Nyasaland national football team... |
0–0 | 2012 ACN q |
| 4 September 2011 | Lomé Lomé Lomé, with an estimated population of 737,751, is the capital and largest city of Togo. Located on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé is the country's administrative and industrial center and its chief port. The city exports coffee, cocoa, copra, and palm kernels... |
 Togo TogoTogo national football team The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus... |
0–1 | 2012 ACN q |
¹ Results from Botswana view
Current squad
The following 18 players were called to play SwedenSweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
on 19th January 2011.
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
|-----
! colspan="9" bgcolor="#B0D3FB" align="left" |
|----- bgcolor="#DFEDFD"
Managers
Rudi GutendorfRudi Gutendorf
Rudolf "Rudi" Gutendorf is a German football manager, renowned for managing the highest number of national teams – to date a total of 18 teams.- Career :...
(1976) Peter Cormack
Peter Cormack
Peter Barr Cormack is a Scottish former professional footballer and football manager who reached his peak as a player in the first great Liverpool side of the 1970s.-Life and playing career:...
(1986–1987) Karl-Heinz Marotzke
Karl-Heinz Marotzke
Karl-Heinz Marotzke is a German football former coach and football player.He managed SF Hamborn 07, VfL Osnabrück, Schalke 04, Ghana, Nigeria-References:...
Veselin Jelušić
Veselin Jelušić
Veselin Jelušić is a Serbian football manager who has managed a number of national teams in Africa, including Angola and Botswana.-External links:*...
(2002–2006) Colwyn Rowe
Colwyn Rowe
Colwyn Roger Rowe is an English football coach and former professional player. He is currently the manager of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.-Playing career:...
(2006–2008) Stanley Tshosane (2008–present)
External links
- Botswana at FIFA.com