Although we are regional neighbors, Botswana and South Africa have not been combatants in international football as regularly as one would have thought. This time around though, the mighty Zebras have been draw against Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the preliminary round of Chan2018 qualifiers which will be hosted by Kenya in 2018.
The Chan tournament is only for local based players who play in their respective domestic leagues. The first leg will be played in Botswana on the weekend of 14-16 July 2017 with the return leg away in South Africa the following weekend. The overall winner will face the victors in the clash between Swaziland and Zambia. The third round fixture will also to be played over two legs, set for the weekend of 11, 12, 13 August 2017. The second leg will take place between 18 and 20 August.
The winners in this match will qualify for the CHAN 2018, known as Total African Nations Championship in Kenya in 2018. This biennial tournament will be held between 11 January and 2 February 2018 an a total of 16 teams will feature in the final tournament, including Kenya who qualified automatically as hosts. The draw took place on Friday, 3 February 2017 in Libreville, Gabon. All the best to Zebras.
