Eswatini national football team

Eswatini
Nickname(s)	Sihlangu Semnikati (King's Shield)
Association	Eswatini Football Association (EFA)
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	COSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coach	Dominic Kunene
Captain	Siyabonga Mdluli
Most caps	Tony Tsabedze (71)
Top scorer	Felix Badenhorst; Sabelo Ndzinisa (15)
Home stadium	Somhlolo National Stadium
FIFA code	SWZ
FIFA ranking
Current	149 (21 December 2023)
Highest	88 (April–May 2017)
Lowest	190 (September–October 2012)
First international
	Swaziland 2–0 Malawi ; (Swaziland; 1 May 1968)
Biggest win
	Djibouti 0–6 Swaziland ; (Djibouti City, Djibouti; 9 October 2015)
Biggest defeat
	Egypt 10–0 Swaziland ; (Alexandria, Egypt; 22 March 2013)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances	19 (first in 1997)
Best result	Third place ; (2016, 2021) ; Semi-finals; (1999, 2002, 2003)
Medal record
COSAFA Cup

The Eswatini national football team, nicknamed Sihlangu Semnikati (King's Shield),^[3] represents Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, in international football and is controlled by the Eswatini Football Association. It has never qualified for the World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations finals. Swaziland's best performance in an international tournament is a semi-final finish in the COSAFA Cup.

On 8 June 2008, they achieved their first win in a World Cup qualifier since 1992, beating 2006 finalists Togo 2–1 on home soil. The team's best recent performance came in 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification where Eswatini finished second in Group L above Guinea and Malawi.

History

Beginnings

The team played its first international match against Malawi, winning 2–0.^[4] For the first decade, the national team only played Malawi and Zambia, failing to register a single win from 1969 until 1984, when they beat Lesotho 3–1 in a friendly at home. Following the Lesotho win, Eswatini entered the 1986 African Cup of Nations qualifiers for the first time, losing 1–8 on aggregate to Zimbabwe. The team then entered the 1987 All-Africa Games qualifiers however they lost 2–9 on aggregate against Malawi.

The first time that Eswatini progressed past the first round of a qualifying competition was for the 1990 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, beating Tanzania 3–1 on penalties after drawing the tie 2–2. In the second round they faced Malawi who knocked them out again, 1–3 after two legs. Eswatini next entered the 1990 SADCC Tournament, advancing past the group stage on goal difference ahead of Malawi, before losing to Zimbabwe on penalties (5–3) in the semi-finals following a 4–4 draw after extra-time. In the 1992 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, Eswatini beat Zambia (2–1) during the preliminary group stage but finished in third and failed to progress.

Eswatini entered the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time, but ended up in second place behind Cameroon thereby not advancing to the final round. For the 1998 World Cup first qualification round, Eswatini lost twice to Gabon (0–1 and 0–2) and were eliminated. They failed to make it past the first qualifying round for the inaugural 1997 COSAFA Cup, where they lost 0–4 to Mozambique, and in the 1998 COSAFA Cup where they lost to an own-goal in extra-time against Angola (0–1). Eswatini returned to the 2000 African Cup of Nations qualification matches after missing the previous three tournaments but they fell 2–3 against Madagascar and were eliminated. They managed to qualify for the 1999 COSAFA Cup after beating Mozambique 3–1 in the qualifiers, then beat Zimbabwe in the quarter-finals 4–3 on penalties after drawing 1–1 in regular time, with Bongani Mdluli having scored the equaliser for Eswatini in the 89th minute. In the semi-finals they lost to Namibia on penalties, 2–4.

21st century

Eswatini were eliminated by Angola in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, losing 1–8 on aggregate. They then lost to Kenya in the 2002 African Cup of Nations qualification round 3–5. Their next success in a competition came in the 2002 COSAFA Cup where they qualified ahead of Namibia (2–1) and beat Zimbabwe (2–0) to advance to the semis. There they lost to South Africa (1–4) who would go on to win the tournament. In the 2004 AFCON qualifiers, Eswatini finished third in their group, two points behind Libya and three behind DR Congo therefore missing out on qualification.

In the following tournaments, Eswatini failed to progress past the first qualifying round. They finished bottom of their qualifying groups until 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification where they finished in second on goal-difference ahead of Guinea but were three points off of qualifying, behind Zimbabwe. In the 2018 World Cup qualifying, Eswatini thrashed Djibouti 8–1 over two legs, but were beaten 0–2 by Nigeria to end their hopes of qualification.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Win Draw Loss Fixture

2023

24 March 2023 AFCON qualification	Cape Verde	0–0	Eswatini	Praia, Cape Verde
15:00 UTC−1		Report	Fanelo Mamba 71'	Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde Referee: Charles Benle Bulu (Ghana)

28 March 2023 AFCON qualification	Eswatini	0–1	Cape Verde	Mbombela, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2		Report	Mendes 56'	Stadium: Mbombela Stadium Referee: Jean Claude Ishimwe (Rwanda)

18 June 2023 AFCON qualification	Eswatini	0–2	Togo	Mbombela, South Africa
17:00 UTC+2		Report	Denkey 14' Placca 90+2'	Stadium: Mbombela Stadium Referee: Peter Waweru (Kenya)

5 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	Eswatini	0–1	Botswana	Durban
15:00		Report	Ditsele 23'	Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium

8 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	Namibia	1–2	Eswatini	Durban
18:00	Limbondi 34'	Report	Matse 41' Matsebula 44'	Stadium: King Zwelithini Stadium

11 July 2023 COSAFA Cup	South Africa	2–1	Eswatini	KwaMashu
18:00	Mabasa 76', 88'	Report	Matsebula 51'	Stadium: Princess Magogo Stadium

8 September 2023 AFCON qualification	Burkina Faso	0–0	Eswatini	Marrakesh, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1		Report		Stadium: Stade de Marrakesh Referee: Amin Omar (Egypt)

13 October Friendly	South Africa	0–0	Eswatini	Johannesburg, South Africa
		Report		Stadium: FNB Stadium Referee: Retselisitsoe Molise (Lesotho)

16 October Friendly

Botswana

2–1

Eswatini

17 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Eswatini	0–1	Libya	Mbombela, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2		Report	Ekrawa 53'	Stadium: Mbombela Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Omar Abdulkadir Artan (Somalia)

21 November 2026 World Cup qualification	Eswatini	0–2	Cape Verde	Mbombela, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2		Report	Mendes 17' Monteiro 38'	Stadium: Mbombela Stadium Referee: Sabri Mohamed Fadul (Sudan)

Coaches

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Ted Dumitru (1983–85)
Dumisa Mahlalela (1992–93)
Scara Thindwa (1996)
Jan Simulambo (1997)
Francis Banda (1998–2000)
Dumisa Mahlalela (2001–02)
Mandla Dlamini (2003)
Francis Banda (2003)
Werner Bicklehaput (2003)
Dumisa Mahlalela (2004)
Francis Banda (2005)
Jan Van Winckel (2006)
Ayman El Yamani (2006–07)
Martin Chabangu (2007)
Raoul Savoy (2007–08)
Ephraim Mashaba (2008–10)
Musa Zwane (2010–11)
Obed Mlotsa (2011)
Caleb Ngwenya (2011–12)
Valere Billen (2012–13)
Harris Bulunga (2013–14)
Harris Bulunga (2014–16)
Anthony Mdluli (2017)
Hendrik Pieter de Jongh (2017–18)
Anthony Mdluli (2018)
Kosta Papic (2018–2019)
Dominic Kunene (2020–2022)
Dominic Kunene (2023–)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Libya and Cape Verde on 17 and 21 November 2023.^[5]

Caps and goals correct as of: 21 November 2023, after the match against Cape Verde

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Ncamiso Dlamini	(1989-10-19) 19 October 1989	13	0	Royal Leopards
1GK	Khanyakwezwe Shabalala	(1993-09-23) 23 September 1993	5	0	Mbabane Highlanders
1GK	Xolani Gama	(1999-10-20) 20 October 1999	0	0	Green Mamba

2DF	Kwakhe Thwala	(2002-04-04) 4 April 2002	21	0	Mbabane Swallows
3MF	Mxolisi Mkhontfo	(1993-08-08) 8 August 1993	15	1	Green Mamba
2DF	Sibongakhonkhe Silenge	(2000-03-01) 1 March 2000	8	0	Green Mamba
2DF	Samkelo Ginindza	(1992-09-18) 18 September 1992	4	0	Moneni Pirates
2DF	Vusi Vilakati	(2001-05-07) 7 May 2001	4	0	Mbabane Highlanders
2DF	Simanga Masangane	(1997-05-09) 9 May 1997	1	0	Royal Leopards
2DF	Newman Philiso	(2003-11-11) 11 November 2003	0	0	Mbabane Swallows

3MF	Sifiso Matse	(1993-05-14) 14 May 1993	45	4	Royal Leopards
3MF	Mzwandile Mabelesa	(1993-04-21) 21 April 1993	35	0	Royal Leopards
3MF	Neliswa Dlamini	(2002-12-28) 28 December 2002	15	0	Mbabane Swallows
3MF	Njabulo Magagula	(1995-08-07) 7 August 1995	4	0	Green Mamba
3MF	Sizolwethu Shabalala	(1996-08-05) 5 August 1996	4	0	Mbabane Swallows
3MF	Ayanda Gadlela	(1998-07-01) 1 July 1998	2	0	Mbabane Swallows
3MF	Mpendulo Lungelo Tfomo	(2000-03-17) 17 March 2000	1	0	Mbabane Highlanders

4FW	Sabelo Ndzinisa	(1991-07-31) 31 July 1991	63	15	Green Mamba
4FW	Philane Thabo Mkhontfo	(1995-04-04) 4 April 1995	18	1	Mbabane Highlanders
4FW	Justice Figuareido	(1998-07-28) 28 July 1998	13	0	Richards Bay
4FW	Bongwa Owa Matsebula	(1997-11-27) 27 November 1997	13	2	Young Buffaloes
4FW	Siyabonga Mthokozisi Gwebu	(1994-06-30) 30 June 1994	2	0	Manzini Sea Birds
4FW	Neliso Myeni	(1992-06-19) 19 June 1992	2	0	Nsingizini Hotspurs

Recent call-ups

The following players were called up for Eswatini in the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mathabela Sandanezwe	(1989-09-09) 9 September 1989	38	0	Mbabane Swallows	2023 COSAFA Cup
GK	Sibusiso Dlamini	(2000-10-10) 10 October 2000	1	0	Nsingizini Hotspurs	v. Togo, 18 June 2023
GK	Bhekisisa Dlamini	(2000-08-14) 14 August 2000	0	0	Moneni Pirates	v. Cape Verde, 24 March 2023 ^PRE
GK	Mlamuli Makhanya	(1996-09-23) 23 September 1996	0	0	Royal Leopards	v. Cape Verde, 24 March 2023 ^PRE
GK	Mlungisi Nxumalo	(2000-11-28) 28 November 2000	0	0	Young Buffaloes	v. Cape Verde, 24 March 2023 ^PRE

DF	Mlamuli Msibi	(1997-08-19) 19 August 1997	14	0	Royal Leopards	v. Burkina Faso, 8 September 2023
DF	Lindo Mkhonta	(1991-04-10) 10 April 1991	42	1	ZESCO United	2023 COSAFA Cup
DF	Siboniso Mamba	(1991-02-24) 24 February 1991	37	2	Young Buffaloes	2023 COSAFA Cup
DF	Sihlangu Mkhwanazi	(1989-09-28) 28 September 1989	28	0	Young Buffaloes	2023 COSAFA Cup
DF	Mxolisi Manana	(1994-01-31) 31 January 1994	6	0	Green Mamba	2023 COSAFA Cup
DF	Lucky Vicky Gamedze	(1995-10-08) 8 October 1995	1	0	Madlenya	2023 COSAFA Cup
DF	Sikhumbuzo Magagula	(1995-05-30) 30 May 1995	12	0	Royal Leopards	v. Cape Verde, 28 March 2023
DF	Gift Gamedze	(1999-09-07) 7 September 1999	0	0	Madlenya	v. Cape Verde, 24 March 2023 ^PRE
DF	Mkhuleko Magagula	(1995-05-10) 10 May 1995	0	0	Manzini Sea Birds	v. Cape Verde, 24 March 2023 ^PRE

MF	Leon Manyisa	(1999-06-03) 3 June 1999	7	0	Mbabane Swallows	v. Burkina Faso, 8 September 2023
MF	Siboniso Ngwenya	(1994-05-03) 3 May 1994	20	2	Young Buffaloes	2023 COSAFA Cup
MF	Sandile Gamedze	(1994-12-03) 3 December 1994	40	8	Young Buffaloes	v. Togo, 18 June 2023
MF	Bongiswa Dlamini	(1998-11-28) 28 November 1998	0	0	Young Buffaloes	v. Cape Verde, 24 March 2023 ^PRE
MF	Mpendulo Dlamini	(1993-06-26) 26 June 1993	1	0	Young Buffaloes	v. Cape Verde, 24 March 2023 ^PRE

FW	Fanelo Mamba	(2001-10-29) 29 October 2001	36	6	Young Buffaloes	2023 COSAFA Cup
FW	Thubelihle Mavuso	(2001-10-06) 6 October 2001	1	0	Nsingizini Hotspurs	v. Cape Verde, 28 March 2023
FW	Njabulo Maziya	(1995-05-10) 10 May 1995	1	0	Madlenya	v. Cape Verde, 28 March 2023

Player records

As of 21 November 2023^[6]

Players in bold are still active with Eswatini.

Most appearances
Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Tony Tsabedze	71	8	2003–2018
2	Sabelo Ndzinisa	63	15	2012–present
3	Mxolisi Mthethwa	52	3	1998–2010
4	Wonder Nhleko	48	5	2001–2018
5	Sifiso Matse	45	4	2017–present
6	Machawe Dlamini	44	1	2011–2019
7	Dennis Masina	42	2	1999–2011
7	Lindo Mkhonta	42	1	2018–present
9	Felix Badenhorst	41	15	2008–2021
10	Sandile Gamedze	40	8	2018–present

Top goalscorers
Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Felix Badenhorst	15	43	0.35	2008–2021
1	Sabelo Ndzinisa	15	63	0.24	2012–present
3	Mfanzile Dlamini	9	35	0.26	1998–2009
3	Siza Dlamini	9	39	0.23	1997–2010
5	Sandile Gamedze	8	40	0.2	2018–present
5	Tony Tsabedze	8	71	0.11	2003–2018
7	Fanelo Mamba	6	36	0.17	2018–present
8	Wonder Nhleko	5	48	0.1	2001–2018
9	Sidumo Shongwe	4	8	0.5	2011–2014
	Sandile Hlatjwako	4	15	0.27	2014–2017
	Sifiso Matse	4	45	0.09	2017–present

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record									Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Part of United Kingdom								Part of United Kingdom
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1974
1978
1982	Did not enter								Did not enter
1986
1990
1994	Did not qualify								3	1	1	1	1	5
1998									2	0	0	2	0	3
2002									2	0	0	2	1	8
2006									2	0	1	1	1	4
2010									4	1	1	2	2	8
2014									2	0	0	2	2	8
2018									4	2	1	1	8	3
2022									2	0	1	1	1	2
2026	To be determined								2	0	0	2	0	3
2030									To be determined
2034									To be determined
Total	–	0/25	–	–	–	–	–	–	22	4	5	13	16	44

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA

1957 to 1968	Part of United Kingdom									Part of United Kingdom
1970 to 1976	Not affiliated to CAF									Not affiliated to CAF
1978	Did not enter									Did not enter
1980
1982
1984	Withdrew									Withdrew
1986	Did not qualify									2	0	0	2	1	8
1988	Did not enter									Did not enter
1990	Did not qualify									4	0	3	1	3	5
1992	Did not qualify									5	1	2	2	4	9
1994	Did not enter									Did not enter
1996	Withdrew									Withdrew
1998	Did not enter									Did not enter
2000	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	2	3
2002										2	1	0	1	3	5
2004										6	2	2	2	8	12
2006										2	0	1	1	1	4
2008										6	0	3	3	0	7
2010										4	1	1	2	2	8
2012										6	0	0	6	2	14
2013	Withdrew									Withdrew
2015	Did not qualify									2	0	1	1	1	2
2017										6	2	2	2	6	9
2019										6	0	1	5	2	14
2021										4	0	1	3	1	9
2023										5	0	2	3	3	8
2025	To be determined									To be determined
2027	To be determined									To be determined
Total	–	0/25	–	–	–	–	–	–	57	7	18	32	36	109

COSAFA Cup

Year	COSAFA Cup
Year	Result	M	W	D	L	GF	GA
1997	First round	1	0	0	1	0	1
1998	Quarter-finals	1	0	0	1	0	1
1999	Semi-finals	3	1	2	0	5	3
2000	Quarter-finals	1	0	0	1	0	2
2001	Quarter-finals	2	0	1	1	1	2
2002	Semi-finals	3	2	0	1	5	5
2003	Semi-finals	2	1	0	1	2	2
2004	Quarter-finals	1	0	0	1	0	5
2005	First round	1	0	0	1	0	3
2006	First round	2	1	0	1	2	1
2007	First round	2	1	1	0	1	0
2008	First round	3	1	2	0	3	2
2009	First round	3	2	0	1	5	2
2013	First round	3	0	1	2	0	4
2015	First round	3	2	1	0	4	1
2016	Third place	6	3	2	1	9	7
2017	Quarter-finals	2	0	0	2	1	3
2018	Quarter-finals	2	0	0	2	0	3
2019	First round	2	0	2	0	4	4
2020	Cancelled
2021	Third place^[2]	6	2	3	1	8	6
2022	Quarter-finals	4	2	2	0	7	2
Total	21/21	53	18	17	18	57	59

References

↑ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
1 2 "Mozambique vs. Eswatini – 18 July 2021 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. 18 July 2021. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
↑ zana-arts Archived 25 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
↑ Courtney, Barrie. "Swaziland (eSwatini) — List of International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
↑ "Final Squad". Twitter. EFA.
↑ "Eswatini". National Football Teams.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.

[2021_COSAFA_3rd_place_match-2] 1 2 "Mozambique vs. Eswatini – 18 July 2021 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. 18 July 2021. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.

[3] zana-arts Archived 25 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine

[4] Courtney, Barrie. "Swaziland (eSwatini) — List of International Matches". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.

[5] "Final Squad". Twitter. EFA.

[6] "Eswatini". National Football Teams.

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National and regional football teams of Africa (CAF)
North Africa (UNAF)	Algeria Egypt Libya Morocco Tunisia
West Africa (WAFU)	Benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Ivory Coast Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria Senegal Sierra Leone Togo
East Africa (CECAFA)	Burundi Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Kenya Rwanda Somalia South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Uganda Zanzibar¹
Central Africa (UNIFFAC)	Cameroon Central African Republic Chad Congo DR Congo Equatorial Guinea Gabon São Tomé and Príncipe
Southern Africa (COSAFA)	Angola Botswana Comoros Eswatini Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Zambia Zimbabwe
Non-regional Members	Réunion¹
Football in Africa portal ¹ Regional team, an associate member of CAF but not a member of FIFA

National sports teams of Eswatini
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