Botswana seek to go one better at CAF ASFC COSAFA Qualifier

Botswana will be aiming to turn silver into gold when they take their place in the Boys’ and Girls’ competition at the 2024 African Schools Football Championship (ASFC) COSAFA Qualifier to be staged in Walvis Bay, Namibia from October 11-13.

The Botswana Girls side were runners-up in last year’s zonal qualifiers, losing 3-1 to South Africa in the final that was staged in Harare, Zimbabwe having impressed all through the competition.

They beat Eswatini 5-1 and hosts Zimbabwe 1-0 to go with draws against Malawi (0-0) and Mozambique (1-1) to book their place in the decider.

However, they came up against a South African team that would go on to lift the continental title in Zanzibar in May.

But it says much about the potential of the Botswana team and they will hope to go one better this time round in Namibia.

It was a vast improvement from the year before at the inaugural event in Malawi where the school representing Botswana, Mothamo JSS, finished bottom of the five-team group having taken a single point from their four games.

The change in format in 2023 to choose players from various schools that excellent in the national trials played to their favour.

The Boys entrants will now hope they can shoe improvement too. Thamaga JSS represented the country in Malawi but finished bottom of a three-team first round pool.

They also took only a single point from four games last year, which came against Eswatini (0-0), before losses to Zimbabwe (1-4), Malawi (0-0) and Mozambique (1-4).

The Botswana Football Association spoke previously of the importance of the ASFC as a pathway into international football.

“The competition exposes young players to play against their foreign counterparts and this is key to their future football development,” a spokesperson said. “Players start to believe they can achieve at an early developmental stage, hence have the motivation to continue to develop their game.”

The draw for the nine-team tournament will be made in Walvis Bay ahead of the competition.

BOTSWANA’S PAST RESULTS
BOYS
2022: Group Stage
2023: Group Stage

GIRLS
2022: Group Stage
2023: Runners-up