Botswana national team coach Morena Ramoreboli has tipped Bafana Bafana as one of the favourites to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Ramoreboli recently took permanent charge of Botswana after guiding the nation to their first AFCON qualification since 2012 while serving as interim coach in November 2024.
This month, the South African tactician is set for his first international break as head coach, with the Zebras set to face Algeria and Somalia in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Read: 'You always see them competing against South Africa'
Nevertheless, Morena remains the only South African coach who will be spearheading a team at AFCON later this year in Morocco, and the 44-year-old has now tipped his country of birth as one of the favourites to claim the prestigious title.
Speaking during an interview with AfricaFootUnited, the Botswana boss was asked who he believes are the frontrunners to win the tournament.
He responded: "I think Morocco is the first favourite as the host country. Maybe South Africa too. I also put a coin on Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia.
"In any case, what is certain is that this edition of the African Cup of Nations will be very, very difficult, and the level will be very high."
Elsewhere, Botswana's decision to host their upcoming qualifiers against Algeria at 3pm local time is said to have not been received well by the North African giants.
Algeria reportedly would have preferred the fixture to be played in the evening due to concerns about the heat and the fact that the match coincides with Ramadan.
However, Ramoreboli insists that this does not give Botswana an advantage.
"We are going to play in Francistown, that is where we play most of our games. So, yes, it will be a difficult game for both sides because people think that playing in this heat (3pm local time) is an advantage for us, but we know that we are playing against an experienced team, players who know how to get good results and manage away games.
"We must not make the mistake of thinking that being at home guarantees us a good result. We must remain humble, continue to work hard, and make sure we play well."
Read: Man Utd sent crashing out of FA Cup by Fulham
By Lukhanyo Mtuta
Follow him here on X