After over half a decade of being exiled from international matches, The Warriors of Zimbabwe are well on course to play on home soil following massive progress in the refurbishment of the National Sports Stadium in Harare.
Zimbabwe has been hosting their opponents outside the country, mainly in South Africa at Orlando Stadium in Soweto. They also used Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium and the Old Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane.
That was after all the stadiums in Zimbabwe failed to meet the minimum Confederation of African Football [CAF] requirements five years ago. Zimbabwe last hosted an international match at the venue on 14 November 2021, in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers where The Warriors took on Ethiopia, a match that ended in a 1-1 draw.
The facility, National Sports Stadium, needed to be upgraded, with bucket seats installation, electronic turnstiles, modern dressing rooms, medical rooms, surveillance cameras, and a new turf with better drainage.
Among the concerns raised by CAF, there was a need to upgrade the media tribune, media centre, and disability centre at the facility. Interestingly, all the key areas have been upgraded, with a few final touches left before doors are opened.
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ZIFA president, Nqobile Magwizi, said Zimbabwe is about to end years of hosting international matches outside the country.
“This is exciting news. I must commend the government and Sakunda Holdings for making this dream a reality. We are back home. Just a few touch-ups remain before CAF can inspect ahead of our qualifiers. It was really tough financially and emotionally to host matches away from home,” he said.
Local premiership matches are set to be played at the National Sports Stadium, pending CAF and FIFA inspection. Harare-based clubs Caps United and Scottland FC, home to Khama Billiat and Knowledge Musona, will be the first match to be played at the venue on Sunday, 31 May, 2026. Hopes are that the 2027 AFCON qualifiers will be hosted at the facility in September.
Meanwhile, the renovations at the stadium were bankrolled by Sakunda Holdings, including the installation of new bucket seats, a significant improvement that will modernise the stadium’s appearance and spectator experience to meet international standards required by football’s world governing body, FIFA.
CAF said the stadium needed to be fully modernised. Initially, CAF found Zimbabwe’s main stadium, the National Sports Stadium, inadequate. But the ban was later extended to the rest of the country’s venues. As it stands, Zimbabwe has another option for international matches, the recently completed Chahwanda Stadium, which CAF has begun vetting.
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