Malete eyes knockout stages at WAFCON

Larona Makhaiza | Monday May 26, 2025 10:21

Speaking during a media briefing this week, the Mares coach, Alex Malete said his charges’ target for the continental competition is to reach the quarterfinals, which is not beyond reach. “We might not have trophies to show but we are determined to go through the group stages and reach the knockout stages in the tournament because that is the minimum target we have set for ourselves,” he said. Malete added that reaching the knockout stages is not alien to the Mares after the team achieved the feat during its maiden appearance in 2022. In their first appearance in Morocco, the Mares were knocked out at the quarterfinal stage, losing 2-1 to the hosts. If the Mares reach the semi-finals, they will automatically qualify for the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. If their journey ends at the quarterfinals, the team will have a shot at qualifying for the World Cup through promotional playoffs. Although Malete is oozing with confidence that their minimal targets are achievable, their latest results cast doubt on the team's ability to progress beyond the group stages.

Results have not gone the Mares' way after the team failed to book a seat at the next edition of the WAFCON after losing to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the first round. Malete said that their recent results were a learning curve for them. “In terms of all the setbacks that we have encountered on the way, we have used them to reflect (and) not to doubt ourselves but to believe that with good preparations we can improve our performance,” he said. The coach said preparations have proceeded smoothly with no hiccups. “I am proud to confirm that preparations are well on track and our journey has long started immediately after we qualified and we have had friendly camps (and) played enough games,” Malete said. To ensure the team is ready for their first challenge against Algeria, Malete said they will play friendly matches over the current FIFA break. “With 47 days to go, we are going to play defending champions South Africa and also Zambia, who went to the last World Cup and qualified back-to-back for the Olympics. This shows the stature and the magnitude of the opponents we are going to play. They are going to help us prepare,” he said.

Leading the Mares team for the first time to WAFCON, Malete has promised Batswana glory days as he emphasised that the squad will not add numbers at the tournament. “The nation can rest assured that the Mares are ready to fight for Botswana. We are all about bringing people together, so stand with us in our victories and our losses,” vowed Malete. The Mares are pitted against three-time champions Nigeria, Algeria, and Tunisia in Group B.