Morocco will host both tournaments, with the Mares due to compete in the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) finals in July, whilst the Zebras' AFCON participation takes place over the festive season. The Botswana Football Association (BFA) has sent both national teams on assignments to fine-tune with the Mares in South Africa for a three-nations tournament involving the hosts and Zambia. The Mares suffered a 3-2 defeat to South Africa on Wednesday and they take on Zambia in the second match on Saturday. The high profile friendly matches are key for a side that makes its second appearance at the WAFCON finals. Coach Alex Malete's squad has been bolstered by the return of key player, Refilwe Tholakele, who has recovered from a horrific injury suffered during club duty last year.
"The games came at the right time. South Africa are the defending champions, and Zambia are one of the top teams in Africa. The pressure environment is what we want to expose our players to because we are going to have difficult games at the WAFCON. So, the Tri-Nations tournament came at the right time," Malete told reporters ahead of The Mares’ clash with Banyana Banyana in South Africa on Wednesday. At the first edition, also held in Morocco in 2022, the Mares reached the knockout stage after beating Burundi 4-2 in the group stages for their only win at the finals thus far. The team bowed out after a battling a 2-1 loss to Morocco and narrowly missed out on a continental play-off spot for the World Cup. However, the Mares have not had much joy since failing to progress in the COSAFA Cup and coming unstuck against Democratic Republic of Congo in their quest for a third consecutive finals appearance. Meanwhile, the Mares' counterparts, the Zebras, are preparing for the COSAFA Cup, with coach Morena Ramoreboli having an almost full strength squad of local-based players.
