Namibia national football team

Namibia
Nickname(s)Brave Warriors
AssociationNamibia Football Association (NFA)
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationCOSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coachCollin Benjamin
CaptainPeter Shalulile
Most capsDenzil Haoseb (83)
Top scorerPeter Shalulile (17)
Home stadiumIndependence Stadium
FIFA codeNAM
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 108 3 (3 April 2025)[1]
Highest68 (November 1998)
Lowest167 (July 2006)
First international
South-West Africa 0–1 Angola 
(Namibia; 16 May 1989)
Biggest win
  6–0 Botswana 
(Windhoek, Namibia; 25 August 1996)
  8–2 Benin 
(Windhoek, Namibia; 15 July 2000)
Biggest defeat
 Egypt 7–1  
(Cairo, Egypt; 8 November 1996)
 Egypt 8–2  
(Alexandria, Egypt; 13 July 2001)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances4 (first in 1998)
Best resultRound of 16 (2023)
African Nations Championship
Appearances2 (first in 2018)
Best resultQuarter-finals (2018)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances19 (first in 1997)
Best resultChampions (2015)

The Namibia national football team represents Namibia in men's international football and is controlled by the Namibia Football Association.[3] They have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup but have made four appearances in the Africa Cup of Nations. The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

History

Namibia played its first international under the name South-West Africa on 16 May 1989 at home against neighbouring Angola and lost 1–0. On 23 March 1990, only two days after gaining independence from South Africa, they hosted neighbour Zimbabwe and lost 5–1. On 7 June, they lost a home friendly 2–1 to Mauritius. Namibia's next contests were played in Lesotho, where they lost 2–0 to their hosts on 1 August 1992, but gained their first ever draw in a 2–2 tie against the same opposition the very next day. Namibia's first win came on 1 July 1994 in a 1–0 victory away over Botswana in a friendly. On 17 May 1998, Namibia played their first match outside of Africa and against non-African opposition, losing 2–1 in a friendly in France against Saudi Arabia.[4]

Namibia has made four appearances in the African Cup of Nations, going out in the first round in their first three competitions and going out in the Round of 16 in their fourth competition. In 1998, Namibia lost to Ivory Coast 4–3 and drew Angola 3–3 before losing to South Africa 4–1. In 2008, Namibia lost to Morocco 5–1 and to Ghana 1–0 but drew Guinea 1–1 in their last match. In 2019, they lost all their group games scoring only a single goal. They lost to Morocco 1–0, and suffered the same loss to South Africa before losing to Ivory Coast 4–1.

The most capped player of the Brave Warriors is defender Denzil with 83 caps while Daniel Lombe is the all-time top goal scorer with 16 goals. He reached this milestone in a 1–1 draw against Cameroon in the AFCON qualifiers at Yaoundé on 24 March 2023.[5][6]

Namibia reached the Round of 16 for the first time in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where they lost 3–0 against Angola.

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

2024

8 January Friendly Ghana  0–0   Kumasi, Ghana
20:00 UTC+0 Report Stadium: Baba Yara Stadium
Referee: Charles Benle Bulu (Ghana)
16 January 2023 AFCON GS Tunisia  0–1   Korhogo, Ivory Coast
17:00 UTC+0 Report Hotto 88' Stadium: Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium
Attendance: 13,991
Referee: Omar Abdulkadir Artan (Somalia)
21 January 2023 AFCON GS South Africa  4–0   Korhogo, Ivory Coast
Report Stadium: Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium
Attendance: 9,304
Referee: Youcef Gamouh (Algeria)
24 January 2023 AFCON GS   0–0  Mali San-Pédro, Ivory Coast
17:00 Report Stadium: Laurent Pokou Stadium
Attendance: 15,231
Referee: Samuel Uwikunda (Rwanda)
27 January 2023 AFCON R16 Angola  3–0   Bouaké, Ivory Coast
Report Stadium: Stade de la Paix, Bouaké
Attendance: 28,663
Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)
1 June Friendly Lesotho  1–1  
5 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification   1–1  Liberia Johannesburg, South Africa
18:00 UTC+2 Report
Stadium: Orlando Stadium
Referee: Messie Jessie Oved Nkounkou Mvoutou (Congo)
9 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification   0–0  Tunisia Johannesburg, South Africa
21:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Orlando Stadium
Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)
28 June 2024 COSAFA Cup Angola  0–0   Gqeberha
18:00 Report Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
1 July 2024 COSAFA Cup   2–1  Lesotho Gqeberha
18:00
Report
  • Mokhachane 54'
Stadium: Isaac Wolfson Stadium
3 July 2024 COSAFA Cup   3–1  Seychelles Gqeberha
15:00
Report Stadium: Isaac Wolfson Stadium
5 July 2024 COSAFA Cup Semi-final Mozambique  0–0
(2–4 p)
  Gqeberha, South Africa
18:00 Report Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
Penalties
  • Domingos
  • Carrelo
  • Dário
  • Maestro
7 July 2024 COSAFA Cup F Angola  5–0   Gqeberha, South Africa
17:00
Report Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium
3 November 2024 African Nations Championship qualification   1–0
(3–4 p)
 Lesotho Bloemfontein, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2 Doeseb 61' Report Stadium: Free State Stadium
Referee: Thulani Sibandze (Eswatini)
Penalties
  • Matšoele
  • Kalake
  • Kamela
  • Toloane
  • Fothoane

2025

20 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Malawi  0–1   Lilongwe, Malawi
18:00 UTC+2 Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Stadium: Bingu National Stadium
Attendance: 17,706
Referee: Jelly Alfred Chavani (South Africa)
24 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification   1-1  Equatorial Guinea Johannesburg, South Africa
15:00 UTC+2 Report (FIFA)
Report (CAF)
Stadium: Orlando Stadium
Referee: Mohamed Eid Mansour (Egypt)

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up to the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group H matches against Malawi and Equatorial Guinea on 20 and 24 March 2025.[7]

Caps and goals correct as of 24 March 2025, after the match against Equatorial Guinea.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Lloyd Kazapua (1989-03-25) 25 March 1989 44 0 Sekhukhune United
1GK Edward Maova (1994-09-05) 5 September 1994 20 0 Lamontville Golden Arrows
1GK Kamaijanda Ndisiro (1999-12-01) 1 December 1999 12 0 Highbury

2DF Riaan Hanamub (1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 54 0 AmaZulu
2DF Charles Hambira (1990-06-03) 3 June 1990 46 3 African Stars
2DF Ivan Kamberipa (1994-02-03) 3 February 1994 46 1 Orapa United
2DF Ngero Katua (2001-07-25) 25 July 2001 21 0 African Stars
2DF Sergio Damaseb (2000-02-13) 13 February 2000 5 0 Mighty Gunners
2DF Bonifasius Josef (1997-05-13) 13 May 1997 1 0 UNAM
2DF Tuhafeni David (2001-02-05) 5 February 2001 0 0 Blue Waters
2DF Sisqo Haraseb (2001-03-10) 10 March 2001 0 0 Mighty Gunners
2DF Johannes Mutanga (1993-02-15) 15 February 1993 0 0 Blue Waters

3MF Aprocius Petrus (1999-10-09) 9 October 1999 48 0 Cape Town City
3MF Dynamo Fredericks (1992-04-04) 4 April 1992 47 1 Jwaneng Galaxy
3MF Prins Tjiueza (2002-03-12) 12 March 2002 22 2 Cape Town City
3MF Paulus Amutenya (2002-07-22) 22 July 2002 14 0 UNAM
3MF Moses Shidolo (1998-05-20) 20 May 1998 11 0 Matebele

4FW Deon Hotto (1990-10-29) 29 October 1990 82 12 Orlando Pirates
4FW Willy Stephanus (1991-06-26) 26 June 1991 65 3 African Stars
4FW Peter Shalulile (1993-03-23) 23 March 1993 62 17 Mamelodi Sundowns
4FW Elmo Kambindu (1993-05-26) 26 May 1993 31 9 AmaZulu
4FW Bethuel Muzeu (2000-02-22) 22 February 2000 29 4 Black Leopards
4FW Joslin Kamatuka (1991-07-22) 22 July 1991 28 3 Durban City
4FW Leevi Alfeus (2001-01-18) 18 January 2001 0 0 Eeshoke Chula Chula

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Namibia in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Jonas Mateus (1996-02-10) 10 February 1996 0 0 Ongos Valley v.  Zimbabwe; 10 October 2024PRE
GK Branco Rukoro (2005-05-01) 1 May 2005 0 0 Desert Rollers 2024 COSAFA Cup

DF Vitapi Ngaruka (1995-10-16) 16 October 1995 19 1 African Stars v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
DF Tuli Nashixwa (2002-05-23) 23 May 2002 7 0 Ramblers v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
DF Kennedy Eib (1997-05-15) 15 May 1997 4 0 Eeshoke Chula Chula v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
DF David Aingwafa Unknown 2 0 Eeshoke Chula Chula v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
DF Abubakir Arend (2002-03-17) 17 March 2002 1 0 Blue Waters v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
DF Erasmus Ikeinge (1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 4 0 Khomas NAMPOL v.  Lesotho; 3 November 2024
DF Kennedy Amutenya (1996-07-15) 15 July 1996 18 0 Gaborone United v.  Zimbabwe; 14 October 2024
DF Ndjiraeree Maharero (1994-05-28) 28 May 1994 3 0 African Stars 2024 COSAFA Cup

MF Lawrence Doeseb (2003-06-04) 4 June 2003 5 1 Life Fighters v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
MF Devin Somseb (1995-05-29) 29 May 1995 4 0 United Africa Tigers v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
MF Mbakondja Tjahikika (2000-08-02) 2 August 2000 2 0 African Stars v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
MF Simon Elago (2002-10-07) 7 October 2002 5 0 Tura Magic v.  Lesotho; 3 November 2024
MF Romeo Kasume (1997-10-21) 21 October 1997 12 0 Liria Prizren v.  Zimbabwe; 14 October 2024
MF Tjipe Karuuombe (2001-09-21) 21 September 2001 10 1 Dinamo Tbilisi v.  Kenya; 10 September 2024
MF Edmar Kamatuka (2002-07-26) 26 July 2002 9 0 UNAM v.  Kenya; 10 September 2024
MF Dawid Ndeunyema (2002-08-22) 22 August 2002 5 0 Blue Waters v.  Kenya; 10 September 2024
MF Ben Richard Namib (1999-08-20) 20 August 1999 5 0 Khomas NAMPOL v.  Cambodia; 7 September 2024PRE
MF Edmund Kambanda (1993-02-25) 25 February 1993 13 1 African Stars 2024 COSAFA Cup

FW Fares Haidula (1993-10-17) 17 October 1993 6 0 Eeshoke Chula Chula v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
FW Godwin Eiseb (2000-05-04) 4 May 2000 4 1 African Stars v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
FW Rewaldo Prins (2003-02-25) 25 February 2003 0 0 Marumo Gallants v.  Kenya, 19 November 2024
FW Erastus Kulula (1997-02-27) 27 February 1997 9 1 Liria Prizren v.  Zimbabwe; 14 October 2024
FW George Frans (1998-11-01) 1 November 1998 0 0 Khomas NAMPOL v.  Cambodia; 7 September 2024PRE

DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up.
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
PRE Preliminary squad.
RET Player has retired from international football.
SUS Suspended from the national team.

Previous squads

Africa Cup of Nations squads

Player records

As of 19 November 2024[8]
Players in bold are still active with Namibia.

Most appearances

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Denzil Haoseb 83 0 2011–present
2 Deon Hotto 80 12 2013–present
3 Petrus Shitembi 79 4 2011–present
4 Ronald Ketjijere 69 2 2010–2019
5 Ananias Gebhardt 65 2 2011–present
6 Absalom Iimbondi 64 7 2015–present
Willy Stephanus 64 3 2011–present
8 Johannes Hindjou 63 10 1996–2005
9 Larry Horaeb 61 0 2011–2021
10 Mohamed Ouseb 60 3 1994–2004
Peter Shalulile 60 16 2014–present

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Peter Shalulile 16 60 0.27 2014–present
2 Rudolph Bester 13 46 0.28 2004–2014
3 Deon Hotto 12 80 0.15 2013–present
4 Gervatius Urikhob 11 40 0.28 1993–2003
5 Johannes Hindjou 10 63 0.16 1996–2005
7 Elmo Kambindu 9 30 0.3 2019–present
Benson Shilongo 9 34 0.26 2011–2021
Eliphas Shivute 9 37 0.24 1993–2001
9 Hendrik Somaeb 8 31 0.28 2011–2019
Ruben van Wyk 8 33 0.24 1994–2002

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 1990 Part of  South Africa Part of  South Africa
1994 Did not qualify 4 0 0 4 0 12
1998 8 2 2 4 9 18
2002 10 1 3 6 7 27
2006 2 0 1 1 1 4
2010 6 2 0 4 7 12
2014 8 3 2 3 10 4
2018 4 1 1 2 3 5
2022 8 3 2 3 9 11
2026 To be determined 6 2 3 1 7 3
2030 To be determined
2034
Total 0/8 56 14 14 28 53 96

Africa Cup of Nations

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

1957
to

1990
Part of  South Africa

1992
to

1994
Did not enter
1996 Did not qualify

1998
Group stage 14 3 0 1 2 7 11


2000
Did not qualify

2002

2004

2006

2008
Group stage 10 3 0 1 2 2 7

2010
Did not qualify


2012

2013

2015

2017

2019
Group stage 23rd 3 0 0 3 1 6

2021
Did not qualify

2023
Round of 16 15th 4 1 1 2 1 7

2025
Did not qualify



2027
To be determined
2029
Total Round of 16 4/35 13 1 3 9 11 31

African Nations Championship

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 2
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
2009 Did not qualify
2011
2014
2016
2018 Quarter-finals 7th 4 2 1 1 3 3
2020 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 0 4
2022 Did not enter
Total Quarter-finals 2/7 7 2 2 3 3 7

COSAFA Cup

Head-to-head record against other nations

Updated on 24 March 2025 after match against Equatorial Guinea[9]

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponent
Pld
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
 Algeria 4 0 0 4 0 7 −7
 Angola 16 0 7 9 9 25 −16
 Benin 2 1 0 1 8 4 +4
 Botswana 20 2 11 7 18 19 −1
 Burkina Faso 3 0 0 3 2 11 −9
 Burundi 4 1 1 2 7 8 –1
 Chad 4 3 0 1 7 4 +3
 Cameroon 6 1 2 3 3 8 −5
 Comoros 5 3 1 1 8 2 +6
 Congo 6 1 2 3 3 9 −6
 Djibouti 2 2 0 0 4 0 +4
 DR Congo 3 1 1 1 7 4 +3
 Egypt 6 0 1 5 6 23 −17
 Eritrea 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3
 Ethiopia 2 2 0 0 4 2 +2
 Equatorial Guinea 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Gabon 2 0 2 0 2 2 0
 Gambia 4 2 1 1 5 5 0
 Ghana 3 0 1 2 0 2 −2
 Guinea 10 1 2 7 4 19 −15
 Guinea-Bissau 2 0 1 1 0 1 −1
 India 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
 Ivory Coast 6 2 1 3 8 13 −5
 Kenya 8 4 1 3 6 5 +1
 Lebanon 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Lesotho 13 5 5 3 15 14 +1
 Liberia 2 1 3 1 3 3 0
 Libya 2 1 0 1 2 2 0
 Madagascar 8 4 1 3 11 10 +1
 Malawi 17 9 4 4 22 16 +6
 Mali 8 1 3 4 4 8 −4
 Mauritius 4 2 0 2 5 4 +1
 Morocco 7 0 1 6 2 15 −13
 Mozambique 20 10 6 4 25 14 +11
 Niger 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1
 Nigeria 4 0 1 3 1 8 −7
 Rwanda 4 0 3 1 3 6 −3
 São Tomé and Príncipe 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2
 Saudi Arabia 2 0 0 2 1 3 −2
 Senegal 8 1 0 7 5 24 −19
 Seychelles 7 4 3 0 15 5 +10
 South Africa 14 1 5 8 10 27 −17
 Eswatini 9 1 4 4 8 10 −2
 Tanzania 4 0 2 2 1 4 −3
 Togo 2 1 0 1 1 1 0
 Tunisia 6 2 1 3 3 8 −5
 Zambia 22 2 11 9 11 27 −16
 Zimbabwe 15 7 0 8 26 29 –3
Total 303 80 89 134 294 413 −119

Honours

Regional

Notes

References

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 3 April 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Namibian football on the rise – ESPN FC". ESPN. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  4. ^ "Namibia International Matches". RSSSF. Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  5. ^ "Senior Men (Brave Warriors)". nfa.org.na. Namibia Football Association. Archived from the original on 10 May 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Ketjijere aiming to go out with a bang". namibian.com.na. The Namibian. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Benjamin announces final squad for World Cup Q". Namibia Football Association. 14 March 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  8. ^ "Namibia". National Football Teams. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  9. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: Namibia". Elo Ratings. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2018.