Young Mares face stern test in World Cup qualifiers
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday April 10, 2026 11:58
It is the start of a six-match survival-and-progression marathon split across three rounds, home and away, with nothing but global qualification at the end of it. For Botswana’s girls, the ambition is to go further than any Mares age group as they look to leap over the senior team's two-time WAFCON qualification and reach the global competition finals.
The Young Mares are still searching for their first qualification to the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations, though there has been progress.
In the previous cycle, they reached the second round of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time, due to Equatorial Guinea’s withdrawal.
On the pitch, they showed flashes of resilience, including a spirited 2-1 victory over Algeria, before eventually bowing out 5-2 on aggregate after a heavy 4-0 defeat in the return leg.
Now comes a different kind of exam as Tanzania are not tourists at this level. The Serengeti Girls have previously qualified for the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, famously reaching the quarterfinals on their debut appearance.
Whilst they have since missed out on the 2024 and 2025 editions, their intent to return is clear, and Young Mares are first in line.
The two sides last met in 2022, a meeting that ended in a sobering 7-0 defeat for the Young Mares. That memory still lingers, especially coming into this fixture after a 7-0 loss to a boys’ Under-17 Dinaledi Academy side in a recent warm-up match.
The senior team, Mares, are meanwhile on international duty in Saudi Arabia for friendly matches under coach Gaolethoo Nkutlwisang, leaving the junior side to carry the flag alone in this opening salvo.