The Eswatini national football team, nicknamed ''Sihlangu Semnikati'' (King's Shield), represents
Eswatini
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
, formerly known as Swaziland, in international
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and is controlled by the
Eswatini Football Association
The Eswatini Football Association (EFA), formerly known as the National Football Association of Swaziland (NFAS), is the governing body of football in Eswatini. It was founded in 1968, and affiliated to FIFA in 1978 and to CAF in 1976. It org ...
. It has never qualified for the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
or the
Africa Cup of Nations
The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), and sometimes as African Cup of Nations, is the main internati ...
finals. Swaziland's best performance in an international tournament is a semi-final finish in the
COSAFA Cup
The COSAFA Cup or COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup is an annual tournament for teams from Southern Africa organized by Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA), inaugurated after the ban against the Republic of South Africa had been ...
.
On 8 June 2008, they achieved their first win in a World Cup qualifier since 1992, beating 2006 finalists
Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
2–1 on home soil. The team's best recent performance came in
2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches were organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide the participating teams of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, the 31st edition of the international men's football champion ...
where Eswatini finished second in Group L above
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
and
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
.
History
Beginnings
The team played its first international match against
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
, winning 2–0. For the first decade, the national team only played
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
and
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
, failing to register a single win from 1969 until 1984, when they beat
Lesotho
Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...
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
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
. The team then entered the
1987 All-Africa Games qualifiers however they lost 2–9 on aggregate against
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
.
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
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
3–1 on penalties after drawing the tie 2–2. In the second round they faced
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
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
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
, before losing to
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
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
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
(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
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
thereby not advancing to the final round. For the
1998 World Cup first qualification round, Eswatini lost twice to
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
(0–1 and 0–2) and were eliminated. They failed to make it past the first qualifying round for the inaugural
1997 COSAFA Cup
This page provides summaries of the 1997 COSAFA Cup, the first edition of the tournament.
Qualifying round
Final round
Individual scorers
* 4 goals
** Adelino
* 3 goals
** Johannes Hindjou
** Tico-Tico
** Jones ...
, where they lost 0–4 to
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
, and in the
1998 COSAFA Cup
This page provides summaries of the 1998 COSAFA Cup
The COSAFA Cup or COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup is an annual tournament for teams from Southern Africa organized by Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA), inaugurated after ...
where they lost to an own-goal in extra-time against
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
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(0–1). Eswatini returned to the
2000 African Cup of Nations qualification
This page details the process of qualifying for the 2000 African Cup of Nations.
Preliminary round
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''Note: both games were played in Kenya.''
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matches after missing the previous three tournaments but they fell 2–3 against
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
and were eliminated. They managed to qualify for the
1999 COSAFA Cup
This page provides summaries to the 1999 COSAFA Cup.
Qualifying round
First round
Winners of the first round advanced to the quarter-finals; losers advanced to the second round.
Second round
Losers of the first round competed for the ...
after beating
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
3–1 in the qualifiers, then beat
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
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
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
on penalties, 2–4.
21st century
Eswatini were eliminated by
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
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, religion =
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in the
2002 World Cup qualifiers, losing 1–8 on aggregate. They then lost to
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
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in the
2002 African Cup of Nations qualification round 3–5. Their next success in a competition came in the
2002 COSAFA Cup
This page provides summaries to the 2002 COSAFA Cup.
First round
Winners of the first round advanced to the quarter-finals.
Quarter-Finals
The four semi-finalists of the 2001 edition Angola (holders), Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi receiv ...
where they qualified ahead of
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
(2–1) and beat
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
(2–0) to advance to the semis. There they lost to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
(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
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
and three behind
DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
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
The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches were organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide the participating teams of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, the 31st edition of the international men's football champion ...
where they finished in second on goal-difference ahead of
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
but were three points off of qualifying, behind
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
. In the
2018 World Cup qualifying, Eswatini thrashed
Djibouti
Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...
8–1 over two legs, but were beaten 0–2 by
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
to end their hopes of qualification.
Recent results
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
2022
2023
Coaches
:Caretaker managers are listed in ''italics''.
*
Ted Dumitru
Theodore "Ted" Dumitru (born Dumitru Teodorescu; 2 September 1939 – 26 May 2016) was a Romanian football manager who is best known for his time in South Africa. Dumitru was one of few coaches who have led South Africa's 'big three' clubs Ka ...
(1983–85)
*
Dumisa Mahlalela (1992–93)
*
Scara Thindwa (1996)
*
Jan Simulambo
Jani Liabwa Simulambo (born 9 November 1953) is a former Zambian footballer and coach. Nicknamed ''Be Good,'' Simulambo had an outstanding career and played at the heart of Zambia’s midfield for close to ten years, representing the country at ...
(1997)
*
Francis Banda (1998–2000)
*
Dumisa Mahlalela (2001–02)
*
Mandla Dlamini
Mandla Emmanuel Dlamini is a South African politician from the African National Congress. He was the party's Western Cape spokesperson.
See also
* List of National Assembly members of the 27th Parliament of South Africa
This is a list of mem ...
(2003)
*
Francis Banda (2003)
*
Werner Bicklehaput (2003)
*
Dumisa Mahlalela (2004)
*
Francis Banda (2005)
*
Jan Van Winckel
Jan Van Winckel (born March 26, 1974) is a Belgian football coach, UEFA and AFC Pro License Instructor and a FIFA Technical Expert. He is Technical Director at the United Arab Emirates Football Association.
Van Winckel holds a UEFA Pro-licence an ...
(2006)
*
Ayman El Yamani (2006–07)
* ''
Martin Chabangu'' (2007)
*
Raoul Savoy
Raoul Savoy (born 18 May 1973) is a Spanish-Swiss football coach.
Career
In 2012, he spent for the first time in Algeria managing MC Oran and in 2013 MC El Eulma.
On 15 May 2015, Raoul was appointed the manager of Gambia national football team. ...
(2007–08)
*
Ephraim Mashaba
Ephraim Mashaba (born 6 August 1950) is a South African former soccer player and manager.
Career
Mashaba managed Vaal Reef Stars until the club was relegated from the South African top-tier.
He managed the South Africa national team, but w ...
(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
Hendrik Pieter de Jongh (born 8 December 1970) is a Dutch football manager who has coached several professional football clubs around the world including Budapest Honvéd, Kenyan Premier League side A.F.C. Leopards and F.C. Cape Town. De Jong ...
(2017–18)
* ''
Anthony Mdluli'' (2018)
*
Kosta Papic (2018–2019)
*
Dominic Kunene
Dominic Kunene is a Swazi football manager, currently managing Eswatini.
Managerial career
In March 2014, Kunene was named manager of Manzini Sundowns until the end of the Swazi Premier League season. In 2015, Kunene was appointed manager of Yo ...
(2020–2022)
Players
Current squad
* The following players were called up for the
2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches will be organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide the participating teams of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, the 34th edition of the international men's football champi ...
matches.
* Match dates: 3 and 7 June 2022
* Opposition: and
* Caps and goals correct as of: 15 July 2022, after the match against
Recent call-ups
The following players were called up for Eswatini in the last 12 months.
Player records
:''Players in bold are still active with Eswatini.''
Competitive record
FIFA World Cup
Africa Cup of Nations
COSAFA Cup
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eswatini National Football Team
African national association football teams