Botswana’s Women’s senior national football team, The Mares, are still hopeful they can reach the quarter-finals of the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
The local ladies will be locked in a do or die battle with Tunisia in the ultimate group stage matches tonight, Sunday June 13, 2025. The Mares head into the game fully aware that only a win can help their course.
As it stands, they are languishing at the bottom of Group B standings, having narrowly lost 0 -1 to both Algeria and Nigeria in their first two matches. These two defeats have made chances slim for Botswana to move forward in the tournament.
Making it even more difficult for them, they face a wounded Tunisian side who also know they have to win to progress past the group stages. However, the team and their officials in Morocco are still hopeful despite narrow chance.
Despite the loss, a spirited and gutsy performance against nine-time champions Nigeria has left them full of belief. Head of delegation Keleeme Bahakgametse says The Mares can still qualify if they win their final group match.
“Our performance against Nigeria was good. Even though we lost, the players’ spirits are still high,” says Bahakgametse. Bahakgametse’s belief stems from the team’s latest performance, which was way better than in their opening match of the tournament.
While optimistic of winning against Tunisia, Botswana also understands their fate is not entirely in their own hands. Even if they win, progressing is not certain. Only the two best third placed teams can advance. They will need some of the lowest placed teams in the other two groups to drop points. For now, though, their focus is solely on the result they can control in their ultimate group match. “We must give it our all against Tunisia today. It’s a must-win game if we want to qualify,” Bahakgametse says.
“The Mares are not out yet. There’s still a chance. We must win against Tunisia to move forward.” With regards to the mood in the Mares’ camp, he admits the girls were disappointed after losing to Nigeria. However, he is adamant that the morale is still high and the girls also believe they still have chance of staying in the competition.
After the match against Nigeria on Thursday, the Assistant Minister of Health, Lawrence Ookeditse—who is standing in for the Minister of Sport, Jacob Kelebeng—along with Botswana Football Association (BFA) President Tariq Babitseng, met with the players. They encouraged the team to forget the past games and focus on the next challenge ahead. Bahakgametse encouraged Batswana to continue rallying behind the team so that it can win the last match and continue in the tournament.
This is the second time in a row that Botswana has qualified for this continental competition. In their maiden appearance in 2022, Botswana managed to reach the quarterfinals. For their second appearance at the WAfcon finals, they were eyeing a semifinal finish.
Tonight’s encounter against Tunisia will kick off at 9pm at the Stade Père Jégo in Casablanca.
