dyton mupawaenda
Langton Nyakwenda
DESPITE their impressive track record in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in the last two decades, the Warriors have struggled to replicate this form in their bid for a place at the World Cup.
Since making their AFCON debut in 2004, Zimbabwe have qualified five times, with their sixth appearance set for Morocco in December.
However, the Warriors’ journey to the World Cup has been less fruitful, with only five wins in the past 31 qualifiers over the last two decades, translating to a meagre 16 percent win rate.
Their last win in World Cup qualifiers was against minnows Somalia at the National Sports Stadium on September 10, 2019.
Although they came out unscathed in their recent 2026 World Cup Group expedition, the Warriors still remained winless, managing a draw apiece against Benin (2-2) and Nigeria (1-1).
They picked up two points out of a possible six and remain bottom of Group C with four points.
Zimbabwe trail log leaders South Africa by nine points, although Bafana Bafana might be docked three points for using a suspended player in their 2-0 victory over Lesotho.
Although the Warriors still have a mathematical chance of qualifying for a maiden World Cup appearance, as there are still 12 points to fight for, analysts are already looking beyond these qualifiers.
Some pundits believe coach Michael Nees should use the remaining World Cup qualifiers to build a solid side for the AFCON finals and try as many combinations as possible.
This is despite another window of opportunity arising from the fact that the four best-placed runners-up in the World Cup qualifiers will feature in a play-off.
Debates are raging across different platforms over the Warriors’ progress, their strategy and what must change for the nation to finally secure a World Cup berth.
Zimbabwe have never qualified for the World Cup since 1980 when the country got its independence.
And it is now highly likely they will miss out on the 2026 finals to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Zimpapers Sports Hub engaged some football analysts and former Warriors players on Zimbabwe’s past qualification struggles and the road map to future success.
Musona, Billiat return sparks debate
Dominating the debates has been the return of former skipper Knowledge Musona, who turns 35 in June, and now plays in the Saudi League.
Musona reunites with Khama Billiat, who also turns 35 later this year and is now playing for Scottland in the local league.
How Nees plans to use the duo in future assignments, given the emergence of fresh talents like Tawanda Chirewa (21) and 22-year-old Tawanda Maswanhise, has also been a topical issue.
Chirewa was outstanding when he came on as a second-half substitute in the 2-2 draw against Benin, but to many’s surprise, the Huddersfield Town man was benched for the game against Nigeria in Uyo. He only came on as an 80th minute replacement for an injured Terrence Dzvukamanja, but still scored Zimbabwe’s equaliser in the 90th minute.
What many agree on is that the Warriors have huge potential to be a force to reckon with.
“We have got great potential to compete against whoever in Africa,” said former Highlanders and Warriors striker Zenzo Moyo.
“The coach needs to start preparing for the AFCON finals and he must use the World Cup qualifiers to give youngsters some game time since qualification for the World Cup is now out of reach.”
Against Nigeria, Zimbabwe struggled to contain the West Africans in the first half, but recovered well in the second half. They had Nigeria on the back foot in the last stages of the game.
It was a performance that left Nees wondering what might have been the case had the referee added a few more minutes.
CAPS United legend Alois Bunjira feels Zimbabwe has reached a level where they should not fear any opponent on the continent.
“I guess our shortfall right now is not realising that we are now good enough to take on any African powerhouse. We should not be giving anyone too much respect,” he said.
“Nees has done well with the team. We may not be winning many matches as we would want, but you can definitely see that the team has vastly improved under Nees and that we are heading in the right direction.”
Bunjira wants Nees to be more adventurous.
“We ought to trust the younger players who are doing well at their clubs,” he said. “While I have utmost respect for Khama Billiat as an outstanding player for the country over the years, I don’t believe he is still quick enough to give the desired results for all the 90 minutes.
“I could say the same for Knowledge Musona, but great respect for him. We also have very good young and upcoming youngsters in the Zimbabwean Premier League. The future of the team looks bright.”
Junior development coach Philip Zulu thinks the return of Musona gives the Warriors “a good balance”.
But he wants Nees to use the experienced players later on in the game.
“With Musona upfront to guide the youngsters, we have good balance. I am sure you also noticed that Musona, in both matches, came to life when the younger players from Europe, Chirewa and Maswanhise, took to the field,” observed Zulu.
“Our offensive play is built around Musona and Khama, but the two have contrasting qualities and it has become obvious that having them both at the same time impacts negatively on the balance of energy levels in terms of defending high up the pitch when out of possession, and the transition when in possession.Tactically, either we start with Musona for the greater part of the 70 minutes, and then we welcome Billiat in the last stages of the game to deal with finer technical details.”
Former CAPS United defender Charles Manjera believes Zimbabwe are in the right direction under Nees.
“Overall, the Warriors have vastly improved under Nees,” said Manjera, who won two league championships with CAPS United in 2004 and 2005. “We need a bit of patience with the coach; he knows what he is doing.”
Manjera paid tribute to Dynamos right back Emmanuel Jalai, who was outstanding in both matches against Benin and Nigeria.
“Seeing Jalai play so well was a kind reminder not to underrate our local boys,” said Manjera.
Against Nigeria, Nees started with three local-based players, Walter Musona, Billiat and Jalai.
We also have exciting youngsters like Chirewa and Maswanhise, they have proved that there are talented Zimbabwean players who were born in the diaspora,” said Manjera.
“Let’s cast our net wide and try to lure as many Europe-based players as we can. We also need a trusted centre forward, but we can’t afford to have many changes between now and the AFCON finals.”
Online Reporter