MBABANE – The senior men’s national team, Sihlangu, have now endured over a year without a single victory.
Defeats are dominating their last 10 fixtures over a span of 458 days. These statistics offer little for the nation to be proud of, especially as His Majesty King Mswati III has previously expressed his desire to see the national football outfit compete in a major international tournament.
However, Eswatini’s dream of a maiden TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) appearance was dealt a blow this week. Sihlangu slumped to a 4–1 aggregate defeat against an unranked Eritrea; a team that only recently returned to official international football after a five-year break. The kingdom has consistently navigated the preliminary rounds of continental qualifiers until this year.
Sihlangu’s last taste of victory dates back to December 29, 2024, when they got a 1–0 win over Madagascar in an African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier. Despite that result, they failed to qualify for the tournament on a 2–1 aggregate. Since that day, the team has played 10 matches across three different competitions, recording four draws and six defeats.
A major portion of this winless run occurred during the International Federation of Assocation Football (FIFA) World Cup Qualifiers under the guidance of Croatian gaffer Zdravko ‘Loga’ Logarusic. Following the termination of ‘Loga’s’ contract, his Assistant Coach ‘Nuro’ took the helm for the clashes against Angola and Cape Verde. Ntibane’s side blew a two-goal lead to draw with Angola and there was a subsequent 3–0 drubbing by Cape Verde. Coupled with Eritrea’s defeats, this leaves him winless in his four games in charge, consisting of one draw and three consecutive losses.
This current slump is the longest winless drought the national team has experienced in recent memory. It surpasses the eight-game winless streak recorded between July 2022 and July 2023, as well as a seven-month dry spell in 2024, where the team went seven games without a win between March and October.
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