Botswana improves but no increase in CAF slots
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday March 9, 2024 07:09
A CAF five-year ranking system is used to determine the number of clubs that each member association may enter in the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup.
The top 12 ranked member associations are allowed to enter two teams in each of the two competitions while the rest are limited to just one each.
Botswana is gunning for an increased representation and Jwaneng Galaxy's exploits in Africa this season have seen a slight improvement in the rankings but the country could not squeeze into the top 12. Botswana has amassed eight points, an improvement from four last season. This saw Botswana climb up two places from 21 to 19.
Nigeria occupies number 12 with 25 points, meaning Botswana fell short by 13 points. Each point earned in the group stages is multiplied by between one and five, looking at five years. The ranking criterion is determined by the weighting factor. Points accumulated in the latest year of the five are multiplied using the five-point weight, while the furthest carries a one-point weight. Township Rollers and Galaxy are the only local clubs to reach the group stages of the Champions League and the development has helped local football take a giant leap in the rankings.
Galaxy have earned a point this season, making it five ranking points. The addition of a point earned in the 2021-2022 season made it three ranking points and brought a total of eight points for local football. Botswana was ranked 18th, the highest ever ahead of the 2022-2023 CAF inter-club competitions.
This was due to Township Rollers' run in the 2018-2019 and Galaxy exploits in the 2021-2022 season. The Galaxy Stars on the other hand have moved to 49th in the CAF club rankings and are the top-ranked local side. The top 12 teams in the club ranking stand a chance to qualify for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.