Zimbabwe Football Comes Home! Warriors Confirmed for National Sports Stadium Return
After years in exile, Zimbabwean football finally has its homecoming. ZIFA has officially confirmed that the Warriors will return to the National Sports Stadium as their home venue for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers — a moment long-suffering fans have waited years to see.
The federation broke the news on social media on Monday, with an emotional message capturing what the return means for the nation. “We’ve waited. We’ve longed. Now, the countdown to coming home begins! The Warriors are returning to the National Sports Stadium, and it’s time to bring your colours, your voices and your pride. Get ready to make it a homecoming to remember! Zimbabwe football comes home,” ZIFA posted.
The green light follows the National Sports Stadium’s recent CAF Category 3 approval, officially clearing the iconic Harare venue to host AFCON and World Cup qualifiers, along with other sanctioned continental fixtures.
The End of a Long Exile
It marks the close of a painful chapter for Zimbabwean football, with the Warriors forced to stage “home” matches in South Africa, Botswana and elsewhere after the National Sports Stadium was ruled unfit for international football. The venue hasn’t hosted a senior international since Zimbabwe’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia back in November 2021 — nearly five years of hosting matches away from home soil.
Group E Awaits
The Warriors will christen their return with a tough 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign, drawn in Group E alongside DR Congo, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea. The qualifiers will be played across the September/October, November and March 2027 international windows.
Zimbabwe kick off the campaign away in Sierra Leone on 24 September, before welcoming DR Congo to Harare just four days later — meaning fans won’t have to wait long to pack the stands for that long-awaited homecoming.
After years of playing “home” games hundreds of kilometres from home, the Warriors’ faithful finally get their stadium — and their team — back. Zimbabwe football comes home indeed
