Botswana – WAFCON Team Profile

by Staff Reporter

Wednesday Jun 25, 2025. 09:00

Botswana are looking to build on their maiden appearance at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in 2022 with a solid showing at this year’s edition.

Botswana impressed in their tournament debut in 2022, advancing to the quarterfinals where they lost 2-1 to hosts and eventual finalists Morocco.

The Mares could prove to be dark horses at the tournament, having exceeded expectations at the last edition. In their upcoming second appearance at WAFCON, they will be looking to match their previous performance, with a group stage exit viewed as not acceptable by head coach Alex Malete.

“A successful campaign would be reaching at least the quarterfinals. From there, we can start dreaming about the semi-finals. But honestly, not making it out of the group stage would be a failure for us. The goal is clear: to get to the quarters at minimum,” said Malete, speaking to CAF Online.

Botswana’s front line will be led by Mamelodi Sundowns forward Refilwe Tholakele. She was the top scorer of the 2023 CAF Women’s Champions League and has established herself as a force to be reckoned with.

Goalkeeper Sedilame Boseja, who also plays for Sundowns, is Botswana’s rock at the back, known for her footwork and distribution which gives The Mares the ability to break on the counter. Her experience and leadership will be hugely valuable for her side.

Having been drawn in group B, Botswana face a tough path to the knockout stages. They will begin their campaign against Algeria on 6 July at the Stade Père Jégo in Casablanca before facing continental powerhouse Nigeria and finishing the group stage against Tunisia.