18 Jan 2022

The National Stadium is undergoing renovations to meet stringent FIFA requirements.

The last time the stadium hosted an international football game was over two years ago when Jwaneng Galaxy hosted South Africa’s Orlando Pirates.
National teams have been hosting matches at the Obed Itani Stadium in Francistown since 2021.

The National Stadium has been reduced to hosting premier league games.
Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho,  said the non-compliance of the National Stadium would soon be a thing of the past.

He said bathrooms would be increased, adding that the flood lights, irrigation system and turf would be attended to.

Serufho said it was BNSC priority to acquire FIFA accreditation for the National Stadium. He also said the stadium was one of their key assets 

“It does not sit well with us that we do not have the option of hosting national activities at the facility that we hold very dear,” he said. The CEO said they had taken a decision to channel resources towards ensuring that before the end of March the facility would have received FIFA accreditation.

He added that besides meeting FIFA requirements, they were giving the facility a facelift through landscaping, improving surveillance capacity and refurbishing the VIP section.

He also said they intended to extract commercial value from the facility in order to generate funds for the commission.

Besides national teams, local clubs competing in CAF championships will benefit since the Confederation of African Football (CAF) also demanded facilities of high international standards. ENDS