The national football teams of Namibia endured a difficult international break, with the Brave Warriors, U23s, U20s and Brave Gladiators all suffering significant defeats.
The senior men’s side were beaten 6-0 by Russia, while the U23s suffered a 5-0 loss to Angola. Namibia’s U20 team were defeated 3-0 by both Mozambique and Zambia, while the women’s senior side, the Brave Gladiators, lost 4-1 to Botswana.
The run of results came despite positive starts for some of Namibia’s teams, including a winning opening to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign for the Brave Warriors and a perfect group-stage record for the U20s at the COSAFA tournament.
The heaviest defeat for the senior team came on 3 October, when Namibia were beaten 6-0 by Russia in Yekaterinburg.
The Brave Warriors had entered the international window with some encouragement after defeating Congo 1-0 on 24 September in their first 2027 AFCON qualifier. Bethuel Muzeu scored the only goal of that match.
Five days later, however, Namibia suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Comoros, with Benjaloud Youssouf scoring in the 54th minute.
The loss to Russia was considerably heavier. Russia held a 1-0 advantage at half-time before scoring five more times after the interval.
The statistics reflected Russia’s dominance. The hosts controlled 65% of possession and registered 14 shots on target, while Namibia failed to record a shot on target.
The U23 side also experienced a major setback in their Olympic qualifying campaign.
After drawing 1-1 in the first leg against Angola, Namibia were overwhelmed in the return match on 5 October in Botswana. Angola won 5-0, securing a 6-1 aggregate victory and eliminating Namibia from the competition.
Namibia’s U20 team had a similarly sharp change in fortunes during the COSAFA U20 tournament.
The Young Warriors had looked strong in the group stage, winning all three of their matches without conceding a goal. They defeated Mauritius and Mozambique 1-0 before recording a 3-0 victory against the Seychelles.
Those results gave Namibia nine points and top spot in their group.
Their progress was halted in the knockout phase, however, when Mozambique won the semi-final 3-0.
The Young Warriors were unable to recover in the third-place match, losing by the same scoreline to Zambia.
The two defeats meant Namibia finished the tournament without securing qualification for the U20 Africa Cup of Nations. Mozambique and South Africa took the two qualification places allocated to the COSAFA region.
The Brave Gladiators also experienced disappointment during the international window.
Namibia’s senior women’s team lost 4-1 to Botswana in Gaborone in their second friendly meeting. The Namibian federation had arranged two matches against Botswana, on 26 and 30 September, before the team was scheduled to continue with its Olympic qualifying programme against Angola.
The overall picture therefore includes both promising performances and worrying results.
The Brave Warriors’ victory against Congo provided a positive beginning to their AFCON qualifying campaign, while the U20s demonstrated their potential by winning all three group matches at the COSAFA tournament.
But those encouraging starts were followed by a series of heavy defeats across Namibia’s national teams.
Russia’s 6-0 victory over the Brave Warriors, Angola’s 5-0 win against the U23s and consecutive 3-0 defeats for the U20s have highlighted the challenges facing Namibian football. The Brave Gladiators’ 4-1 loss to Botswana added another setback to an already difficult period.
Several of Namibia’s teams must now use their next international fixtures to respond to the disappointing results and build on the positive performances recorded earlier in their respective campaigns.
