23 Jun 2025

The senior women national football team, The Mares, is focused and in good sprit ahead of the TotalEnergies CAF Women Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), which starts on July 5.

The Mares is in Group B with Algeria, Nigeria and Tunisia and their first assignment against Algeria is on July 6. They will then play against Nigeria on July 10 followed by Tunisia on July 13.  Botswana head of delegation, Keleeme Bahakgametse said in an interview that since the team’s arrival in Morocco last week, they had been in good sprit as they understood their assignment. 

He said training had been going very well, adding that at the moment, the team was solid and in good health. Bahakgametse said preparations were going well, and the facilities were up to standard. 

“I am happy at the same time that I am leading a united, determined and solid team, which is a good thing. They will have to do all what it takes to fight for the country,” he said. 

Bahakgametse said they arrived early in Morocco for the team to acclamatise, work on team building  and players’ mental strength. 

“It is hot in Morocco and cold back home, so we wanted their bodies to adjust to the weather, so that any reaction is immediately dealt with before the tournament,” he said. 

He further said he was also impressed by the technical team adding that all members understood their roles and doing them diligently.  In their debut at the WAFCON in 2022, The Mares reached the quarterfinals, after beating Burundi, 4-2 and lost 2-0 to Nigeria and 1-0 to South Africa. They qualified for the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams in their group, but lost 2-1 to Morocco. The Mares then faced Cameroon in the in the 5^th-6^th place play-off and lost 1-0. ENDS