A youthful 23-man Brave Warriors squad is set to compete in the 23rd edition of the Cosafa Cup, scheduled from 26 June to 7 July.
Coach Collin Benjamin has confirmed the squad list, emphasising the inclusion of several young players who recently participated in the Fifa World Cup African qualifiers.
The Brave Warriors are placed in Group C, and will kick off their campaign against Angola on 28 June at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, with the match starting at 18h00.
Their second game will be against Lesotho on 1 July at Wolfson Stadium, beginning at 15h00.
The group stage will conclude with a match against Seychelles on 3 July, also at Wolfson Stadium at 15h00.
Namibia last lifted the Cosafa Cup trophy in 2015 under the leadership of Ricardo Mannetti.
They aimed for consecutive titles in 2016, but were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Botswana on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Despite this setback, they triumphed in the Plate competition, defeating Zambia 1-0 in the final.
The team reached the Plate final again in 2017 but lost 1-0 to South Africa, and were beaten by the same opponent in the semifinals of the Plate competition.
In 2019, despite winning two of their three pool matches, Namibia did not advance to the quarterfinals.
In 2022, they reached the quarterfinals but were defeated 1-0 by Zambia after extra time.
Last year, they faltered at the pool stages.
Now, the team is focused on rebuilding with available local players, aiming to restore Namibia’s competitive edge in the Cosafa Cup.
-lmupetami@nepc.com.na
The squad list is as follows: Branco Rukoro, Mwatuoovange Ikeinge, Tjipenandjambi Karuuombe, Simon Elago, Charles Hambira, Moses Shidolo, George Frans, Romeo Kasume, Bethuel Muzeu, Lawrence Doeseb, Erastus Kulula, Edmund Kambanda, Arend Abubakir, Dawid Ndeunyema, Richard Namib, Kamaijanda Ndisiro, Haidula Shapwa, Aprocious Petrus, Paulus Amutenya, Ivan Kamberipa, Ndjiraeree Maharero, Baggio Nashoxwa and Jonas Mateus.