24 Feb 2026

The senior national football team, the Zebras, has been commended for representing Botswana with pride, demonstrating discipline during the  recent Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament held in Morocco.

Botswana, drawn in a difficult group alongside eventual champions Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo and Benin, did not progress to the next round. Despite early exit, the Botswana Football Association (BFA) and its stakeholders rewarded the players and technical team with over P5 million to share among themselves.

Speaking at the appreciation event on Monday, BFA president Tariq Babitseng thanked the Government for adequately preparing the Zebras ahead of the AFCON finals.

Babitseng said Botswana had been placed in the toughest group, which produced the African champions, Senegal. He noted that Democratic Republic  of Congo was also a formidable side currently pushing for qualification in the FIFA World Cup.

“That alone shows that the group we were in was tough, but despite not winning, our players did their best,” he said.

He said players were frustrated that they could not score or secure a victory for Botswana, but praised them for their determination, especially as the tournament’s lowest-ranked side. Babitseng further noted that this was Botswana’s second appearance at Africa’s showpiece tournament, the first being in 2012, and expressed hope that the team would qualify again for a third appearance as preparations for the 2027 qualifiers begin.

He also thanked sponsors who supported the Zebras throughout their campaign, including the Botswana Tourism Organisation, St Louis, BK Proctor, Choppies, O3 Beverages and Orange Botswana.

Meanwhile, Botswana National Sport Commission Director of Sport Development, Peaceful Seleka, urged sponsors to continue supporting football, noting that the commission funded 39 sporting codes and football took the largest share of the budget.

He said continued sponsorship support helped ease pressure on his vote, adding that it costs more than P2 million to send the Zebras to a single fixture. Seleka also stressed the importance of building strong and competitive domestic leagues and capacitating coaches.

He emphasised the importance of having high-quality coaches at club level, so that by the time players were called up to the national team, they were fully prepared and ready to deliver. BOPA