After reaching the quarterfinals on its debut two years ago, the team has since been on a steady downward spiral, missing the Olympics berth, falling short in the COSAFA Championship, and now crashing out of the 2024 WAFCON at the group stages and ultimately missing out on the 2027 World Cup. This year’s WAFCON finals in Morocco were billed as the team’s return to the continent's main stage. The target was clear, at least a quarterfinal berth but the Mares fell flat. They started with back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Algeria and Nigeria, before restoring a semblance of pride with a spirited 2-1 comeback win over Tunisia.
The three points were not enough this time around to sneak into the knockout round as one of the two best third-placed finishers. In 2022, three points had been a ticket to the last eight but in 2024, it was a boarding ticket home. Statistically, the two campaigns were near-identical, three points, minus-one goal difference, but this time Mares scored two fewer goals. In tournament football, especially with qualification margins so fine, goals scored matter. And this is where the Mares came short. Now, with WAFCON 2024 behind them, the reality is brutal; no Olympics, no WAFCON 2026, and a poor COSAFA showing in between. A team once praised for its guts and flair is now battling stagnation. From the outside looking in, the spark seems dimmed. Since that magical 2022 run, Botswana has played six group-stage matches across two WAFCON finals and one quarterfinal and failed to keep a single clean sheet. They have also fired blanks in four of those seven matches. It is a pattern that speaks to deeper issues than just poor performance on the pitch. The Mares now face a painful three-year wait before they can even dream of another WAFCON.
