Get to know Bafana’s Afcon opponents: Namibia

Fact box on Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers Namibia

Africa Cup of Nations record: (3) 1998, 2008, 2019

Previous appearances in finals: 0

Best performance: Group stage

Drawn in group E with Mali, South Africa and Tunisia.

Coach: Collin Benjamin

Benjamin played in the Bundesliga and Champions League with Hamburg and featured for Namibia at the 2008 Cup of Nations in Ghana.

He remains one of the Southern African country’s most successful footballing exports and after concluding his career in Germany stayed at 1860 Munich in their coaching structures.

After he returned home to Windhoek, he began coaching with the football association and worked his way up to national team coach, appointed to the post in June 2022.

Key player: Peter Shalulile. Age: 30. Forward

A key member of the Mamelodi Sundowns side which won the inaugural edition of the new African “Super League” in November, Shalulile has been the leading goal scorer in the South African Premier League in three of the past four seasons.

He started out as a fullback but was converted to striker and quickly made his mark in domestic soccer, earning a first Namibia cap in 2014.

South African clubs scouted him and after starting out at Highlands Park he joined Sundowns in 2020 and has won three successive championships with them.

Fifa world ranking December 2023: 115

How they qualified: Second place team in group C, behind Cameroon but ahead of Burundi.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Loydt Kazapua (Chippa United), Edward Maova (University of Pretoria), Kamainjanda Ndisiro (African Stars)

Defenders: Kennedy Amutenya (Gaborone United), Ananias Gebhardt (Baroka), Charles Hambira (African Stars), Riaan Hanamub (AmaZulu), Denzil Haoseb (Khomas Nampol), Lubeni Haukongo (Cape Town Spurs), Ivan Kamberipa (Orapa United), Ryan Nyambe (Derby County), Aprocius Petrus (Liria Prizren)

Midfielders: Uetuuru Kambato (African Stars), Ngero Katua (UNAM), Marcel Papama, Wendell Rudath (both Jwaneng Galaxy), Petrus Shitembi (Kuching City), Prins Tjiueza (Liria Prizren)

Forwards: Deon Hotto (Orlando Pirates), Absalom Iimbondi (Khomas Nampol), Joslin Kamatuka (Maritzburg United), Bethuel Muzeu (Black Leopards), Peter Shalulile (Mamelodi Sundowns).