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	Zdravko Logarušić
Captain	Mthunzi Mkhontfo
Most caps	Tony Tsabedze (71)
Top scorer	Sabelo Ndzinisa (17)
Home stadium	Somhlolo National Stadium
FIFA code	SWZ
FIFA ranking
Current	160 1 (24 October 2024)
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),^[4] 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.^[5] 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

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)

2024

20 March 2025 AFCON qualification	Somalia	0–3	Eswatini	El Jadida, Morocco
		Report	Figuareido 33' Ndzinisa 45+3' Thwala 56'	Stadium: Ben M'Hamed El Abdi Stadium Referee: Andre Kolissala Mbangui (Central African Republic)

26 March 2025 AFCON qualification	Eswatini	2–2 (5–2 agg.)	Somalia	Mbombela, South Africa
	Ndzinisa 46' Matsebula 49'	Report	Awad 76', 84'	Stadium: Mbombela Stadium Referee: Joseph Odey Ogabor (Nigeria)
Note: Eswatini won 5–2 on aggregate.

7 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Angola	1–0	Eswatini	Luanda, Angola
20:00 UTC+1	Mabululu 2'	Report		Stadium: Estádio 11 de Novembro Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Hillary Hambaba (Zambia)

11 June 2026 World Cup qualification	Mauritius	2–1	Eswatini	Saint Pierre, Mauritius
17:00 UTC+4	Gaspard 19' Rose 45'	Report	Magagula 66'	Stadium: Côte d'Or National Sports Complex Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Mohamed Athoumani (Comoros)

26 June 2024 COSAFA Cup	Eswatini	0–0	Botswana	Gqeberha, South Africa
15:00		Report		Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

29 June 2024 COSAFA Cup	Mozambique	0–0	Eswatini	Gqeberha, South Africa
12:00		Report		Stadium: Isaac Wolfson Stadium

2 July 2024 COSAFA Cup	South Africa	1–0	Eswatini	Gqeberha, South Africa
15:00	Sibanyoni 3'	Report		Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

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 (2018–19)
Dominic Kunene (2020–22)
Dominic Kunene (2023–24)
Sifiso Ntibane (2024)

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2025 AFCON qualification matches against Mozambique on 11 and 14 October 2024.^[6]

Caps and goals correct as of 10 September 2024, after the match against Mali

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Xolani Gama	(1999-10-20) 20 October 1999 (age 25)	3	0	Green Mamba
1GK	Mlamuli Makhanya	(1996-09-23) 23 September 1996 (age 28)	0	0	Royal Leopards

2DF	Lindo Mkhonta	(1991-04-10) 10 April 1991 (age 33)	44	1	ZESCO United
2DF	Kwakhe Thwala	(2002-04-04) 4 April 2002 (age 22)	29	1	Mbabane Swallows
2DF	Mxolisi Manana	(1994-01-31) 31 January 1994 (age 30)	15	0	Green Mamba
2DF	Sibongakhonkhe Silenge	(2000-03-01) 1 March 2000 (age 24)	12	0	Green Mamba
2DF	Simanga Masangane	(1997-05-09) 9 May 1997 (age 27)	8	0	Royal Leopards
2DF	Sibonelo Sibandze	(1997-06-13) 13 June 1997 (age 27)	2	0	Young Buffaloes

3MF	Sifiso Matse	(1993-05-14) 14 May 1993 (age 31)	51	4	Royal Leopards
3MF	Neliswa Dlamini	(2002-12-28) 28 December 2002 (age 21)	23	0	Mbabane Swallows
3MF	Siboniso Ngwenya	(1994-05-03) 3 May 1994 (age 30)	20	2	Young Buffaloes
3MF	Junior Magagula	(1995-01-12) 12 January 1995 (age 29)	16	1	Royal Leopards
3MF	Thubelihle Mavuso	(2001-10-06) 6 October 2001 (age 23)	7	0	Nsingizini Hotspurs
3MF	Sisekelo Matsenjwa	(2002-11-23) 23 November 2002 (age 21)	5	0	Young Buffaloes
3MF	Sizwe Gwebu		0	0

4FW	Sandile Gamedze	(1994-12-03) 3 December 1994 (age 29)	42	8	Young Buffaloes
4FW	Fanelo Mamba	(2001-10-29) 29 October 2001 (age 23)	36	6	Young Buffaloes
4FW	Mthunzi Mkhontfo	(1993-12-28) 28 December 1993 (age 30)	33	3	Green Mamba
4FW	Bongwa Matsebula	(1997-11-27) 27 November 1997 (age 26)	22	3	Young Buffaloes
4FW	Justice Figuareido	(1998-07-28) 28 July 1998 (age 26)	17	1	Richards Bay
4FW	Njabulo Thwala	(1990-02-02) 2 February 1990 (age 34)	8	0	Green Mamba
4FW	Siyabonga Mthokozisi Gwebu	(1994-06-30) 30 June 1994 (age 30)	4	0	Manzini Sea Birds

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 Sandanzwe	(1989-09-09) 9 September 1989 (age 35)	40	0	Mbabane Swallows	v. Mali; 10 September 2024
GK	Sibusiso Dlamini	(2000-10-10) 10 October 2000 (age 24)	2	0	Nsingizini Hotspurs	2024 COSAFA Cup
GK	Siyabonga Magagula		0	0	Ezulwini United	2024 COSAFA Cup
GK	Ncamiso Dlamini	(1989-10-19) 19 October 1989 (age 35)	17	0	Royal Leopards	v. Mauritius; 11 June 2024
GK	Khanyakwezwe Shabalala	(1993-09-23) 23 September 1993 (age 31)	5	0	Mbabane Highlanders	v. Somalia; 26 March 2024

DF	Gift Gamedze	(1999-09-07) 7 September 1999 (age 25)	5	0	Madlenya	v. Mali; 10 September 2024
DF	Vusi Vilakati	(2001-05-07) 7 May 2001 (age 23)	4	0	Mbabane Highlanders	v. Mali; 10 September 2024
DF	Newman Philiso	(2003-11-11) 11 November 2003 (age 21)	3	0	Mbabane Swallows	v. Mali; 10 September 2024
DF	Nkhosingiphile Shongwe	(2001-07-19) 19 July 2001 (age 23)	2	0	Nsingizini Hotspurs	v. Mali; 10 September 2024
DF	Colani Dlamini	(1999-02-27) 27 February 1999 (age 25)	0	0	Green Mamba	2024 COSAFA Cup
DF	Siphosethu Mabilisa	(2000-09-19) 19 September 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Mbabane Swallows	2024 COSAFA Cup
DF	Nkosingiphile Silenge		0	0	Green Mamba	2024 COSAFA Cup
DF	Samkelo Ginindza	(1992-09-18) 18 September 1992 (age 32)	4	0	Moneni Pirates	v. Cape Verde, 21 November 2023

MF	Mpendulo Lungelo Tfomo	(2000-03-17) 17 March 2000 (age 24)	2	0	Mbabane Highlanders	v. Mali; 10 September 2024
MF	Leon Manyisa	(1999-06-03) 3 June 1999 (age 25)	9	0	Mbabane Swallows	2024 COSAFA Cup
MF	Innocent Dlamini	(1998-12-08) 8 December 1998 (age 25)	3	0	Green Mamba	2024 COSAFA Cup
MF	Bongiswa Dlamini	(2001-04-04) 4 April 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Young Buffaloes	2024 COSAFA Cup
MF	Mxolisi Mkhontfo	(1993-08-08) 8 August 1993 (age 31)	19	1	Green Mamba	v. Mauritius; 11 June 2024
MF	Mzwandile Mabelesa	(1993-04-21) 21 April 1993 (age 31)	37	0	Royal Leopards	v. Mauritius; 11 June 2024
MF	Njabulo Magagula	(1995-08-07) 7 August 1995 (age 29)	4	0	Green Mamba	v. Cape Verde, 21 November 2023

FW	Sabelo Ndzinisa	(1991-07-31) 31 July 1991 (age 33)	69	17	Green Mamba	v. Mali; 10 September 2024
FW	Philane Thabo Mkhontfo	(1995-04-04) 4 April 1995 (age 29)	21	1	Mbabane Highlanders	v. Mali; 10 September 2024
FW	Ayanda Gadlela	(1998-07-01) 1 July 1998 (age 26)	7	0	Mbabane Swallows	2024 COSAFA Cup
FW	Sizolwethu Shabalala	(1996-08-05) 5 August 1996 (age 28)	7	0	Mbabane Swallows	2024 COSAFA Cup
FW	Sambulo Simelane	(2001-06-07) 7 June 2001 (age 23)	2	0	Nsingizini Hotspurs	2024 COSAFA Cup
FW	Sibonginkhosi Dlamini	(1990-11-21) 21 November 1990 (age 33)	0	0	Nsingizini Hotspurs	2024 COSAFA Cup
FW	Wandile Simelane	(1996-10-09) 9 October 1996 (age 28)	0	0	Moneni Pirates	2024 COSAFA Cup
FW	Neliso Myeni	(1992-06-19) 19 June 1992 (age 32)	2	0	Nsingizini Hotspurs	v. Somalia; 26 March 2024

Player records

As of 14 October 2024^[7]

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	69	17	2012–present
3	Sifiso Matse	53	4	2017–present
4	Mxolisi Mthethwa	52	3	1998–2010
5	Wonder Nhleko	48	5	2001–2018
6	Lindo Mkhonta	46	1	2018–present
7	Machawe Dlamini	44	1	2011–2019
7	Sandile Gamedze	44	8	2018–present
9	Dennis Masina	42	2	1999–2011
10	Felix Badenhorst	41	15	2008–2021

Top goalscorers
Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Sabelo Ndzinisa	17	69	0.25	2012–present
2	Felix Badenhorst	15	43	0.35	2008–2021
3	Mfanzile Dlamini	9	35	0.26	1998–2009
3	Siza Dlamini	9	39	0.23	1997–2010
5	Sandile Gamedze	8	44	0.18	2018–present
5	Tony Tsabedze	8	71	0.11	2003–2018
7	Fanelo Mamba	6	38	0.16	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	53	0.08	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 to 1966	Part of United Kingdom								Part of United Kingdom
as Swaziland
1970 to 1978	Not a FIFA member								Not a FIFA member
1982 to 1990	Did not enter								Did not enter
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
as Eswatini
2022	Did not qualify								2	0	1	1	1	2
2026	To be determined								4	0	0	4	1	6
2030									To be determined
2034									To be determined
Total	–	0/11	–	–	–	–	–	–	24	4	5	15	17	47

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									8	2	3	3	8	9
2025
2027	To be determined								To be determined
2029	To be determined								To be determined
Total	–	0/25	–	–	–	–	–	–	65	9	21	35	44	118

COSAFA Cup

Year	COSAFA Cup record
Year	Result	Pld	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

Honours

Regional

COSAFA Cup
- Third place (2): 2016, 2021

References

^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
^ ^a ^b "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.
^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 13 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
^ 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

[FIFA_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.

[2021_COSAFA_3rd_place_match-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.

[World_Football_Elo_Ratings-3] Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 13 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.

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

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

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

[7] "Eswatini". National Football Teams.

[1]

[2]

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[7]

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