TANGIER, Morocco — Senegal and Botswana meet in a Group D encounter at the Grand Stade de Tanger on Tuesday. It will be the nations’ first meeting at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Botswana is making their second AFCON appearance and will face West African opposition for the fourth time at the finals. At their debut tournament in 2012, all three of their opponents — Ghana, Guinea and Mali — were from West Africa.
Overall, this will be the third meeting between the teams. Their previous two encounters came during qualifying for the 2015 AFCON, with Senegal winning both matches, cafonline.com.
Senegal qualified for the 2015 AFCON as Group G runners-up behind Tunisia, while Botswana finished fourth in the same group behind Tunisia, Senegal and Egypt.
Senegal – key statistics
Senegal us making their 18th Africa Cup of Nations appearance and sixth in succession, having featured at every tournament since 2015. After finishing runners-up in 2002 and 2019, they claimed their first AFCON title in 2021, becoming one of only three nations to lose their first two finals before winning their third.
The Teranga Lions have an outstanding record in tournament openers, avoiding defeat in 15 of 17 opening matches and winning their last five, most recently a 3–0 victory over Gambia in 2023. They have scored in each of their last eight AFCON openers and lost just once in their last 12 opening games.
Defensively, Senegal have been the tournament’s standout side since 2017, keeping a competition-high 15 clean sheets in 22 matches and conceding only eight goals. They are unbeaten in their last 11 AFCON matches in open play and their last seven group games, allowing just one goal in that run.
Senegal went unbeaten in qualifying, conceding only once, with Habib Diarra and Sadio Mane joint top scorers. Mane, appearing at his sixth AFCON, has 15 goal involvements in the tournament. This will be Senegal’s first AFCON under coach Pape Thiaw, succeeding long-time boss Aliou Cisse.
Botswana – key statistics
Botswana returns to the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time in 13 years, having made their tournament debut in 2012. Their only previous AFCON campaign ended without a win, losing all three matches, including a 1–0 opening defeat to Ghana, and they remain in search of their first victory at the finals.
Botswana scored just twice at AFCON 2012, with Dipsy Selolwane netting their first-ever AFCON goal from the penalty spot against Guinea, while Mogakolodi Ngele’s strike against Mali remains the only time they have scored first at the tournament.
Botswana will be coached at AFCON by South African Morena Ramoreboli, the first from his country to lead another nation at the finals, succeeding Stanley Tshosane, who was in charge in 2012.
They qualified despite a difficult start, losing home and away to Mauritania and Egypt, before securing vital double victories over Cabo Verde and drawing twice with Mauritania and Egypt. Botswana scored four goals in qualifying, the joint fewest among teams to reach the finals.
