Ramoreboli outlines Botswana’s AFCON plans

Botswana national team

Botswana national team coach Morena Ramoreboli has scheduled an early camp ahead of the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco.

The Zebras are set to make their second appearance at the continental competition, having debuted in 2012. Finding themselves in Group D alongside 2021 African champions Senegal, DR Congo and Benin, Botswana are in what appears like a tough pool.

They will be trying to pick up their first win of AFCON after losing all their group games in 2012. That leaves Ramoreboli with a big task in his hands. But after becoming the first coach to take Botswana to this tournament in 13 years, he would be confident of pulling upsets in Morocco.

The former Bafana Bafana COSAFA Cup coach has drawn up a preparation plan that appears long on paper as he seeks to drill his side to match their much-fancied opponents. 

RAMOREBOLI’S AFCON PREPARATION PLANS FOR BOTSWANA

Morena Ramoreboli and his Botswana players
Morena Ramoreboli: Picture by CAFOnline

“We will announce the preliminary team on the 14th or 15th [November], around that weekend. The final team will be announced around the 20th because on the 23rd we are planning to have our local camp,” Ramoreboli told FARPost.

“And then from the local camp, we will be travelling [to North Africa] closer to where the tournament is hosted. We will have about two or three weeks before the tournament in preparation for our first match.

“We will be in camp making sure that we acclimatise, we prepare well, we get those friendly games, challenge ourselves. That is what I said, four weeks of preparation for us, I think, will be good for us.

“We will get roughly like 25 or 30 sessions, which will be very good for us.”

With the Rosendal-born coach having more time with the locally based stars, the North Africa-based quartet of captain Thatayaone Ditlhokwe, Tumisang Orebonye, Gape Mohutsiwa, and Kabelo Seakanyeng form the core of his side.

However, the Zebras are not involved in any international friendly during the current November FIFA break. While Botswana are inactive, Senegal are facing global powerhouses Brazil and Benni McCarthy’s Kenya.

Benin have a friendly game against Burkina Faso and DR Congo clash with Cameroon in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Africa play-offs on Thursday. 

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