SafekipediaNamibia national football team
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
The Namibia national football team represents the country of Namibia in men's international football. It is managed by the Namibia Football Association. While the team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, it has participated in the Africa Cup of Nations four times. The team plays under the rules of both FIFA and the Confederation of African Football, showing pride for Namibian fans around the world.
History
Namibia played its first international match under the name South-West Africa on May 16, 1989, at home against neighboring Angola and lost 1–0. Shortly after gaining independence from South Africa, they hosted Zimbabwe and lost 5–1. Their first win came on July 1, 1994, with a 1–0 victory away over Botswana in a friendly match.
Namibia has participated in the African Cup of Nations four times. In their first three appearances, they exited in the first round. In the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, they reached the Round of 16 for the first time, where they lost 3–0 to Angola.
Results and fixtures
This section shows the team's match results from the past year and any games that are planned soon. It includes results from both wins and losses, as well as games that ended in a draw. The schedule covers games from 2025 and 2026.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
2025
2026
Coaching history
Here are the coaches who have helped guide the Namibia national football team:
- Eric Muinjo (1992–1993)
- Shepherd Murape (1994–1995)
- Ruston Mogane (1997–1998)
- Mlungisi Ngubane (1998)
- Seth Boois (1998–1999)
- Heinz-Peter Überjahn (1999)
- Herman Katjiuongua (2000)
- Lucky Richter (2000)
- Ted Dumitru (2000–2003)
- Shepherd Murape (2004)
- Ben Bamfuchile (2006–2007)
- Arie Schans (2007–2008)
- Tom Saintfiet (2008–2010)
- Brian Isaacs (2010–2011)
- Bernard Kaanjuka (2011–2013)
- Roger Palmgren (2013)
- Ricardo Mannetti (2013–2015)
- Fillemon Kanalelo (2015)
- Ricardo Mannetti (2015–2019)
- Bobby Samaria (2019–2021)
- Collin Benjamin (2022–present)
Players
The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF Group H matches against Malawi and Equatorial Guinea on 20 and 24 March 2025.
The next list shows players called up for Namibia in the last year.
Namibia has had players in past Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, including:
- 1998 African Cup of Nations squad
- 2008 Africa Cup of Nations squad
- 2019 Africa Cup of Nations squad
- 2023 Africa Cup of Nations squad
| 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 | 22 | 0 | Lamontville Golden Arrows | |
| 1GK | Kamaijanda Ndisiro | (1999-12-01) 1 December 1999 | 19 | 0 | Highbury | |
| 2DF | Riaan Hanamub | (1995-02-08) 8 February 1995 | 60 | 0 | AmaZulu | |
| 2DF | Charles Hambira | (1990-06-03) 3 June 1990 | 59 | 3 |  African Stars | |
| 2DF | Ivan Kamberipa | (1994-02-03) 3 February 1994 | 53 | 2 |  Orapa United | |
| 2DF | Ngero Katua | (2001-07-25) 25 July 2001 | 30 | 0 | African Stars | |
| 2DF | Sergio Damaseb | (2000-02-13) 13 February 2000 | 11 | 0 | Mighty Gunners | |
| 2DF | Tyrese Hikupembe | (2000-05-06) 6 May 2000 | 5 | 0 | Blue Waters | |
| 2DF | Sisqo Haraseb | (2001-03-10) 10 March 2001 | 3 | 1 | Mighty Gunners | |
| 2DF | Bonifasius Josef | (1997-05-13) 13 May 1997 | 1 | 0 | UNAM | |
| 2DF | Tuhafeni David | (2001-02-05) 5 February 2001 | 1 | 0 | Blue Waters | |
| 2DF | Johannes Mutanga | (1993-02-15) 15 February 1993 | 0 | 0 | Blue Waters | |
| 3MF | Aprocius Petrus | (1999-10-09) 9 October 1999 | 55 | 0 | Cape Town City | |
| 3MF | Dynamo Fredericks | (1992-04-04) 4 April 1992 | 52 | 1 | Jwaneng Galaxy | |
| 3MF | Paulus Amutenya | (2002-07-22) 22 July 2002 | 24 | 0 | UNAM | |
| 3MF | Prins Tjiueza | (2002-03-12) 12 March 2002 | 22 | 2 | Cape Town City | |
| 3MF | Moses Shidolo | (1998-05-20) 20 May 1998 | 15 | 0 | Matebele | |
| 3MF | Penda Mongudhi | (1994-11-25) 25 November 1994 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 4FW | Deon Hotto | (1990-10-29) 29 October 1990 | 86 | 12 | Orlando Pirates | |
| 4FW | Willy Stephanus | (1991-06-26) 26 June 1991 | 69 | 3 | African Stars | |
| 4FW | Peter Shalulile | (1993-03-23) 23 March 1993 | 66 | 20 | Mamelodi Sundowns | |
| 4FW | Bethuel Muzeu | (2000-02-22) 22 February 2000 | 38 | 5 | Black Leopards | |
| 4FW | Joslin Kamatuka | (1991-07-22) 22 July 1991 | 33 | 4 | Durban City | |
| 4FW | Elmo Kambindu | (1993-05-26) 26 May 1993 | 31 | 9 | AmaZulu | |
| 4FW | Isaskar Gurirab | (1998-01-03) 3 January 1998 | 17 | 2 | Mamelodi Sundowns | |
| 4FW | Leevi Alfeus | (2001-01-18) 18 January 2001 | 8 | 0 | Eeshoke Chula Chula | |
| 4FW | Wiseman Lifasi | (2002-04-23) 23 April 2002 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 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 | 5 | 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 | Mbakondja Tjahikika | (2000-08-02) 2 August 2000 | 5 | 0 | African Stars | 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 | 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 | 14 | 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 | 7 | 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. | ||||||
Player records
As of 28 March 2026
Players in bold are still active with Namibia.
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deon Hotto | 86 | 12 | 2013–present |
| 2 | Denzil Haoseb | 84 | 0 | 2011–present |
| 3 | Petrus Shitembi | 80 | 4 | 2011–present |
| 4 | Ronald Ketjijere | 70 | 2 | 2010–2019 |
| 5 | Willy Stephanus | 69 | 3 | 2011–present |
| 6 | Ananias Gebhardt | 66 | 2 | 2011–present |
| 7 | Johannes Hindjou | 66 | 10 | 1996–2005 |
| Absalom Iimbondi | 66 | 7 | 2015–present | |
| Peter Shalulile | 66 | 20 | 2014–present | |
| 10 | Larry Horaeb | 62 | 0 | 2011–2021 |
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peter Shalulile | 20 | 66 | 0.3 | 2014–present |
| 2 | Rudolph Bester | 13 | 46 | 0.28 | 2004–2014 |
| 3 | Deon Hotto | 12 | 86 | 0.14 | 2013–present |
| 4 | Gervatius Urikhob | 11 | 45 | 0.24 | 1992–2003 |
| 5 | Eliphas Shivute | 10 | 42 | 0.24 | 1992–2001 |
| Johannes Hindjou | 10 | 66 | 0.15 | 1996–2005 | |
| 7 | Elmo Kambindu | 9 | 31 | 0.29 | 2019–present |
| Benson Shilongo | 9 | 36 | 0.25 | 2011–2021 | |
| 9 | Hendrik Somaeb | 8 | 31 | 0.28 | 2011–2019 |
| Ruben van Wyk | 8 | 36 | 0.22 | 1994–2002 | |
Competitive record
FIFA World Cup
Africa Cup of Nations
African Nations Championship
COSAFA Cup
Main article: COSAFA 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 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 10 | |||||||||
   2030 | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||||||||
 2034 | |||||||||||||||
| Total | – | 0/8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 60 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 59 | 103 | |
| 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 | 14 | 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 |
Head-to-head record against other nations
Updated on 28 March 2026 after match against Comoros
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 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 7 | +1 |
 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 |
 Kazakhstan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 |
| 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 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 6 | –2 |
 Libya | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
 Madagascar | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 10 | +1 |
 Malawi | 18 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 18 | +5 |
| 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 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 |
| 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 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 11 | −8 |
 Zambia | 22 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 27 | −16 |
| Zimbabwe | 15 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 26 | 29 | –3 |
| Total | 310 | 81 | 90 | 139 | 301 | 426 | −123 |
Honours
Regional
The Namibia national football team has won the COSAFA Cup once in 2015. They were also runners-up in the years 1997, 1999, 2022, and 2024.
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Namibia national football team, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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