GABORONE, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- After failing to qualify for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Botswana national football team has now turned their focus towards the qualifiers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup scheduled to start in November.
"The Zebras" will kick of their qualification campaign at home against Mozambique on the 18th of November before hosting Guinea on 21st of November.
Speaking to the media after a morale boosting 1-0 victory against Eswatini in Lobatse last Monday, Botswana coach Mogomotsi Mpote said he is now focused on getting maximum points in the first two games of the qualifiers.
He said the team has been showing signs of improvement in the past two matches they played, a 5-4 penalty win against Zimbabwe in a friendly match on September 30 and another win against Eswatini.
"We have been trying different combinations and giving different players chances as we will play a lot of games in the World Cup qualifiers," he said.
Botswana is in group G alongside Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, and Somalia. Mpote said playing the first two matches at home is advantage for his team and they will try by all means to get maximum points to be in a favorable position to qualify for the World Cup for the first time ever.
Following a decision by FIFA to increase the number of teams to compete at the 2026 World Cup to be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico, Africa's slots increased from four to six, resulting in a total of nine qualifier groups with six teams in each group. The qualifiers will be played from November 2023 until November 2025. ■
