Sihlangu and Under-20 Women’s football development programme

GOOD day dear reader. I hope you are having blessed Easter holidays. This is one of the important periods in the calendar as we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is why it is very important for us to always Praise the Lord for the gift of life.

Sihlangu

After a convincing victory in Morocco against Somalia, the senior men’s national team Sihlangu SeMnikati was back in action on Tuesday. This was the second leg of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 preliminary round qualifiers. With the national team leading on aggregate score by 3-0, one could have been easily deceived that Eswatini will have it relaxed in the second leg that was played at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. It was not easy as Somalia was able to come back from two goals down to make the score line to 2-2. What was more important was the qualification of the national team to the next round of the AFCON qualifiers, which are the group stages. Each match has its own experiences of which both the technical bench and players learn something new. Going forward they will work on the mistakes they committed for their readiness for the future. Congratulations to Justice Figareido for scoring his first official goal for the national team. Sabelo Ndzinisa continues to prove that he is the current lethal striker in the country as he is the current leading goal scorer and he scored on both matches against Somalia.

The Eswatini Football Association (EFA) acknowledges the support from the fans who are always supporting the national team. Regardless of the second leg being played on a Tuesday, some fans were able to travel to Nelspruit and watch the match which is an indication that the public loves the national team and football in general. As we wait for the draw to be executed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the fans must also prepare themselves for a busy period for the national team with the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and the TotalEnergies AFCON qualifiers on the cards. The national team needs every football stakeholder’s support as qualifying for the World Cup and AFCON Finals is a huge project. Even though Eswatini have never qualified before, this is not a guarantee that it is not possible. Football is a team sport, let us put more effort and make history in as far as international football is concerned. The results against Somalia are now part of history and now we must focus on the tasks ahead. With younger players being introduced to the national team set up, the future is bright as there is continuity. This must be a motivation to the upcoming young players as there are many official matches for the national team on the pipeline.