Story by: Milton Marima
“2027 AFCON QUALIFIERS: WARRIORS BEGIN ROAD TO EAST AFRICA”
The road to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations gets underway this week, with 48 nations beginning their campaigns for places at next year’s finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The tournament is scheduled for 19 June to 17 July 2027.
Zimbabwe’s Warriors are in Group E alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The Warriors open their campaign against Sierra Leone on Thursday, 24 September, with the match taking place in Morocco. They will then return home to face DR Congo on Monday, 28 September, at the National Sports Stadium in Harare.
Zimbabwe coach Ramon Catala has named his squad for the opening two matches, with experienced players including Marvelous Nakamba and Marshall Munetsi joined by a number of emerging players. The squad also features locally based players from Scottland and Hardrock.
Across Africa, the opening round features several high-profile encounters, including Côte d’Ivoire against Ghana, Morocco versus Gabon, Egypt against Angola and Algeria against Zambia.
The qualifiers will be played across six match days, with the first two rounds taking place between 24 September and 6 October, followed by matches in November 2026 and the final two rounds in March 2027.
For the Warriors, attention now turns to Morocco, where they begin their latest attempt to secure a place at the continental showpiece.
Story by:Milton Marima
Nice work Sir Milton