Mafoso feels the draw is fair and gives the Kingdom a chance to dig deep in its ambition to qualify for the prestigious continental showpiece.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is a draw where every team in the group believes it can qualify and it also gives us hope that, for the first time, we can make it to AFCON,\u201d Mafoso said.<\/p>\n
The qualifiers, culminating in finals hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July 2027, will run across three FIFA windows: 21 Sept \u2013 6 Oct 2026, 9 \u2013 17 Nov 2026, and 22 \u2013 30 March 2027.<\/p>\n
*Two slots, no hosts in the group*\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n From 12 groups of four, the top two qualify. Mafoso sees Lesotho\u2019s group as an advantage because none of the co-hosts are in it:<\/p>\n \u201cI think we were unlucky in previous AFCON qualifiers because we were grouped with hosts where only one slot was available, but this time around we are in a group with two qualification slots and that increases our chances.\u201d<\/p>\n *Respect every opponent*\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Morocco will be the toughest test as Africa\u2019s top-ranked side and a 2026 World Cup team. But Mafoso isn\u2019t intimidated:<\/p>\n \u201cMorocco is a big team, but we have played against them before, and we did fairly well in one match where we only lost 1-0. Playing against them also comes with opportunities because if we do well, we market ourselves and our players.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s also wary of the mental hurdle against \u201cbeatable\u201d teams:<\/p>\n \u201cWe must prepare well and respect every opponent. Recently, we have performed well against big teams but struggled against sides we believed we could beat, and I think that comes down to the players\u2019 mentality and approach towards different opponents, which we have to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n *LeFA pledges full backing*\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n LeFA Secretary-General Mokhosi Mohapi agrees the draw is fair and says the association is ready to fund the campaign:<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of resources, it is going to cost us quite a bit because we will be travelling outside the COSAFA region, as far as West and North Africa, but as an association we are prepared for that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat makes us more prepared is that the games will be played over two financial years, which means funding should not become a major challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Likuena coach Bob Mafoso has embraced the draw for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Pamoja 2027, where Lesotho has been paired in Group A against Morocco, Gabon and Niger. Mafoso feels the draw is fair and gives the Kingdom a chance to dig deep in its ambition to qualify for the prestigious continental…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5879,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n