Hopes of seeing the Warriors play their remaining World Cup qualifiers on home soil are fading fast as renovations at the National Sports Stadium (NSS) fall behind schedule despite government promises.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) banned the Harare-based stadium from hosting international matches in 2021, citing multiple infrastructure failures. Since then, Zimbabwe’s senior national football team has been forced to play “home” games in neighbouring countries.
In recent months, optimism returned after Sports Minister Anselem Sanyatwe and newly elected ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi assured the public that the senior men’s team would return to NSS this year.
However, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s Mid-term Budget Review presented in Parliament on Thursday revealed that progress on the pitch — a critical area — is only at 40% completion.
“Following CAF’s ban, government initiated major upgrades,” said Ncube. “Among the milestones: bucket seat installation is at 90%, turnstiles at Gate 1 are done, and cabling for the venue operating systems is complete. But the turf replacement, a key requirement, is still underway, with the old turf just recently dug out.”
With Zimbabwe set to host Benin on September 1 and Rwanda on September 8, the lagging pace of renovations puts both fixtures in jeopardy especially the Rwanda match, which might now be played in South Africa, a de facto “home” for the Warriors in recent years.
If the current timeline holds, the Warriors risk completing their entire 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign without playing a single match on Zimbabwean soil. Their last scheduled home match is a high-stakes tie against South Africa on October 6.
The lack of suitable football infrastructure continues to be a sore point in Zimbabwe’s sporting landscape, with critics questioning how long it will take to bring the country’s flagship stadium up to CAF standards.
For now, the countdown continues — but so do the doubts.
