Zebras chase AFCON glory ‘against all odds’
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday December 19, 2025 14:13
It is an essential combination, whilst the team has been ranked as the least likely to win the continental silverware. The Zebras' underdog status was stamped by football's data and analytics company, Opta, whose projections are built on thousands of historical performance metrics.
Opta says Botswana’s chances of winning AFCON 2025 sit at just around 0.1% to 0.2%, giving the local lads a long shot with a sliver of daylight.
Meanwhile the hosts, Morocco, sit atop the favourites list with roughly a 19% chance of lifting the trophy, followed by Egypt, Senegal and Algeria.
Those numbers are not to be taken lightly, especially with the Zebras drawn in a rugged Group D amongst Senegal, DR Congo, and Benin—teams with deeper tournament pedigree and, until recently, stronger ranking positions on the CAF and FIFA lists.
But the national team has chosen to prepare for this challenge the hard way, by facing real competition and not just ticking warm-up fixtures off a sheet.
After missing the last international break, Botswana have squeezed four meaningful matches into their pre-AFCON schedule. The first came on Sunday, December 14, 2025, in Tabarka, Tunisia, when the Zebras delivered a 2–1 win over Stade Tunisien, a Professional League side sitting third in Tunisia’s top division.
Segolame Boy and Alford Velaphi were the scorers in that victory. Then on December 16, 2025, the Zebras drew 1–1 with BS Bouhajla, a spirited second-division team pushing for promotion, in another physical encounter offering players competitive minutes.
These local tests were followed by two international friendlies against Tunisia, played yesterday afternoon, and Comoros, giving Morena Ramoreboli’s squad a rich blend of styles, intensity, and tactical demands before their AFCON opener next Tuesday.
Botswana’s return to the finals marks only their second AFCON appearance in history; the first was in 2012, a campaign remembered not for shock results but for the sheer magnitude of the occasion.
In that tournament, the Zebras played three group matches, scored two goals, and conceded nine, leaving the competition at the group stage without a point.
The 2012 squad was not young and was simply inexperienced at the continental level, a distinction that is important to understand.
This 2025 team is also an older assembly and tactically more seasoned, with an average age of 29 and a core of players like Kabelo Dambe, Mosha Gaolaolwe, Gilbert Baruti, Thabang Sesinyi, Boy, Omaatla Kebatho, and Kabelo Seakanyeng who have logged countless big-match minutes.
Head coach, Ramoreboli, has made it clear via CAF platforms that Botswana are not content to simply make up the numbers in Morocco.
His message is about competing, imposing their game plan, and leaving a mark on the continent, and not just showing up. That is a bold public posture, and one earned through disciplined preparation rather than airy optimism.
The AFCON kicks off on December 21, 2025, as Morocco takes on Comoros. The Zebras will kick off their campaign on Tuesday evening against Senegal.