Botswana qualified for their first and only AFCON qualifiers in 2012 under Stanley Tshosane and efforts since then have ended in heartbreak. The opening tie will be played at the Stade De La Capitale in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania at 6pm local time. The Zebras are in a tricky group as they attempt a return to the AFCON finals, now under the tutelage of Frenchman, Didier Gomes Da Rosa. Botswana faces record African champions Egypt, Cape Verde, and Mauritania in Group C. The top two teams qualify for the tournament to be hosted in Morocco.
All the three teams pitted against Zebras are regular participants at the AFCON finals and it remains to be seen if Botswana will upset the favourites. As the Zebras kick-start the qualifiers tomorrow, the blue, black and white nation will be reminded of the 2-1 defeat they suffered at the hands of Mauritania in 2018 as the West African country sealed its first spot at the 2019 AFCON finals, a year before the COVID-19 pandemic started wreaking havoc. Zebras will hope to start on a strong footing considering the other two strong opponents in the group. Soon after the game against Mauritania, the Zebras will fly back to Francistown as they await the Egyptian kings at the Obed Itani Chilume Stadium. The match against Egypt takes place at 3pm on Tuesday. Playing against Egypt captained by Mohammad Salah, will prove to be a tricky challenge for a Zebras side still in its building phase.
However, the two sides are not strangers to each other as they have faced off numerous times with Egypt having the upper hand. After September’s international week, Da Rosa’s troops are back in action next month. They will travel to Cape Verde on October 7 before the Cape Verdeans travel to Francistown for the return leg on October 15.
