CAF has granted special approval for the use of the National Sports Stadium in Harare, marking a major step towards the return of international football to Zimbabwe.
The country last hosted an international fixture more than four years ago, after all local venues were deemed unfit by CAF. Since then, renovations have been underway at the National Sports Stadium, which has now been cleared to host Category 2 international matches.
This classification allows the venue to stage preliminary round games in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup, as well as U23, U20, and U17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. Simba Bhora will be the first beneficiaries, using the stadium for their CAF Confederation Cup clash against Nsingizi Hotspurs in September.
However, the stadium has not yet been approved for senior men’s and women’s national team fixtures, as it still falls short of CAF’s full compliance standards. As a result, the Warriors will continue to play their “home” matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.