Times Of Swaziland: SITSEBE FACE NAMIBIA IN 2026 WAFCON QUALIFIERS

SITSEBE FACE NAMIBIA IN 2026 WAFCON QUALIFIERS
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Nimrod Hlophe on 13/12/2024 08:57:00


MBABANE – In a bid for their first TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of
Nations (WAFCON), Namibia now stand as the initial hurdle in Eswatini’s quest
for glory at the 2026 tournament.
This development follows a draw conducted yesterday by the Confederation of
African Football (CAF) in Egypt. The senior national team, known as Sitsebe,
have been drawn against regional rivals Namibia for the opening round of the
qualifiers, which are scheduled to commence in February next year. The matches
will be contested on a home-and-away basis, with Eswatini kicking off at home.
Compared to the previous edition, where Eswatini faced a daunting challenge
against Burkina Faso, Namibia presents a more manageable opponent.
Aggregate
In that earlier encounter, Eswatini faced a heavy defeat, succumbing to Burkina
Faso with an aggregate score of 6-2 in the initial round. Sitsebe’s Head Coach
Bongani Makhukhula was unavailable for immediate comment on the draw following
its announcement. CAF also conducted the qualifiers for the FIFA Under-20
Women’s World Cup.
Commence
These qualifiers will commence in September next year, with the continent set to
produce four representatives. Eswatini faces a challenging draw against South
Africa in this category. In the final draw of the day,  Eswatini found
themselves matched against Namibia in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup
qualifiers.  In the last edition of the tournament, African representation was
provided by Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia.