Benin players warming up during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between DRC and Benin in Rabat, Morocco on 22 December 2025 ©Samuel ShivambuBackpagePix
Friday Dec 26, 2025. 13:00
Benin and Botswana will both be looking to bounce back to winning ways when they meet in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) fixture on Saturday.
Kick-off is at 2:30 pm CAT.
The matchday two Group D match is scheduled to be played at the Rabat Olympic Stadium in Rabat, which is the capital city of Morocco and the country’s seventh-largest city.
The Cheetahs started their AFCON campaign with a 1-0 defeat to DR Congo on December 23 and the loss extended their winless run to three matches across all competitions.
Benin are placed third in the Group D standings and a victory over Botswana would see the Cheetahs enhance their chances of progressing to the Round of 16.
“We need to prepare well for the Botswana match. The advantage is the return of our suspended players. We will count on our captain, Steve Mounié, and behind Mohamed Tijani,” Benin head coach Gernot Rohr said.
“Today the young people who played like (Rodolfo) Aloko, (Romaric) Amoussou showed that they have their say in this team. Our future in the competition is outlined on the calendar that opposes us to Botswana and Senegal. You have to win the next match to qualify.”
Meanwhile, Botswana also began their AFCON campaign with a 3-0 loss to Senegal on December 23 and they are now winless in their last nine matches across all competitions in regulation time.
The Zebras are placed fourth in the Group D standings and a victory over Benin would see Botswana boost their hopes of advancing to the knockout phase for what would be for the first time.
“It was a very competitive match [against Senegal] and dealing with the experienced Senegal players on the wings gave us a lot of problems, as we struggled to cope with their pace,” Botswana head coach Morena Ramoreboli said.
“We did very well to contain them in many areas, especially knowing that they were seen as the favourites for the match. We will correct our mistakes to ensure we improve in those areas before the next game.”
Benin and Botswana will be meeting for the first time across all competitions.