THE Zimbabwe national football team, the Warriors, once again fi nd themselves in the embarrassing position of playing their home games in a foreign land. This time, they face Benin and Nigeria in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifi ers, but instead of playing in front of passionate home supporters at the National Sports Stadium or Rufaro Stadium, they will be at Moses Mabhida Stadium in South Africa. This has become an unfortunate and painful reality for Zimbabwean football, a situation that needs urgent redress. The lack of approved, FIFA-standard football stadia in Zimbabwe has continued to rob the national team of the crucial home-ground advantage, a phenomenon that signifi cantly impacts not just team morale, but also the players’ psychological preparedness.
The authorities must expedite the refurbishment of our football facilities if we are truly serious about the growth and future of football in Zimbabwe. Home-ground advantage is a critical component of football. The energy and support from local fans, familiarity with the pitch, and the psychological edge of playing in a familiar environment cannot be understated. Yet, for Zimbabwe, this advantage has been consistently stripped away due to the poor state of our stadia. In an ideal situation, the Warriors should be playing in front of their home supporters, feeling the passion of thousands of Zimbabweans cheering them on, giving them the motivation to fi ght harder. However, this dream remains elusive as authorities have failed to ensure that our stadiums meet international standards.
By playing their home games in South Africa or other foreign venues, Zimbabwe’s national team experiences several disadvantages. Football is as much a psychological battle as it is physical. When a team plays at home, the atmosphere created by thousands of supporters acts as a catalyst for motivation and performance. The absence of this support means the Warriors lack the extra motivation that comes with a roaring home crowd. Instead of having the comfort of training and playing in familiar surroundings, the team has to deal with additional travel arrangements, accommodation issues and unfamiliarity with the adopted ‘home’ venues. This drains energy and focus, making it harder to deliver optimal performances. Every player dreams of representing their country in front of their own people.
The fact that Zimbabwean footballers have not played a competitive international game at home in years aff ects their mental toughness. It is disheartening and leads to lower confi dence levels. Hosting games away from home means that local fans, who would ordinarily fi ll up our stadiums, are unable to attend, leading to a loss in ticket revenue. Additionally, ZIFA has to shoulder extra logistical costs that could have been avoided had the matches been hosted in Zimbabwe. It is a sad indictment on our football authorities that Zimbabwe does not have a single stadium which meets CAF and FIFA standards. The National Sports and Rufaro and Barbourfi elds stadiums remain below par.
The reasons for this we all know — years of neglect, lack of investment and bureaucratic inertia. Once the pride of Zimbabwean football, the National Sports Stadium’s facilities are outdated, the pitch substandard, and essential amenities such as modern dressing rooms and security systems are conspicuous by their absence. Rufaro Stadium, a historic stadium, which once hosted legendary matches, international artistes like Bob Marley, is now a relic of the past. Once the heartbeat of local football, it has deteriorated to an extent that even domestic league games are a challenge. Given these realities, one wonders: Do we really take football seriously in Zimbabwe? If we are to reclaim our place in African football, the authorities must immediately act to ensure that our football facilities are spruced up. And the following steps must be taken: We should fast-track renovations.
The National Sports Stadium, Rufaro Stadium, and other key stadia should be urgently renovated. It should not take years to revamp a stadium when countries like Morocco, Algeria, Rwanda and even smaller nations like Cape Verde have invested in world-class facilities. The Government and ZIFA must seek private investors who can help fi nance the refurbishment of our football infrastructure. Successful nations do not rely on government alone to develop sport; private sector involvement is crucial. And city councils should not be allowed to derail these public-private partnerships. We must adopt international best practices.
Zimbabwe can learn from nations like South Africa, which has invested heavily in maintaining its world-class stadiums. Even countries like Rwanda, which recently modernised their Amahoro Stadium, prove that serious commitment yields results. It is important that we revamp local football structures as beyond national team matches, local football needs quality stadiums for the development of players. If young players do not get the experience of playing in world-class facilities, they will struggle to adapt at higher levels. ZIFA and all stakeholders must stop making excuses. If we are serious about football, if we are serious about competing at the highest level, then let us act now.
The time for empty promises is over. Zimbabwean football fans deserve better and, above all, our players deserve to play at home. Other African nations have moved forward; why should Zimbabwe lag behind? Football is more than just a game, it is a national identity, a unifying force and source of pride. Let us invest in our stadia and give our Warriors the true home-ground advantage they deserve. Until then, our national team will continue to suff er the indignity of playing ‘home’ games on foreign soil, a tragedy that could have been avoided with sound planning and commitment from the powers that be. It is time to bring football back home!
Businessman Tawanda Chenana is also a philanthropist and Secretary for Lands for ZANU PF Mashonaland East Province.