Stadium headache resurfaces for Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has been once again faced with a stadium crisis ahead of the senior men’s national football team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers set to begin in November.
This week, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) released a list of arenas cleared to host the international matches and no facility in the country is among those approved stadia meaning Zimbabwe will be forced to play home games outside the country.
According to CAF, the list of approved stadiums, is only for matchday 1 and 2 which means there is still room for the country (Zimbabwe) to put its house in order.
As it stands, it is highly likely, the Warriors alternative destination is South Africa as the Rainbow Nation has seven arenas approved to host international matches.
However, there is a glimmer of hope that the Warriors can still play international matches on home soil should the giant National Sports Stadium, which is undergoing renovations, is ready in time and passes the standards tests before matchday three qualifiers.
Zimbabwe are in Group C, alongside continental giants Nigeria, neighbours South Africa, Rwanda, Benin and Lesotho.
The Warriors, who are yet to qualify for the global extravaganza, will first travel to Rwanda on the 12th of November before hosting the Super Eagles of Nigeria in matchday 2 a week later.
Zimbabwe recently returned to the international football family after FIFA lifted the suspension imposed on the country and appointed a Normalisation Committee tasked with running the affairs of ZIFA until next year June.
