Lawrence Moyo
CAPS United’s exit from the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup on Saturday means the country’s three football heavyweights will miss out on CAF action, which guarantees a minimum US$100,000, for the next TWO years.
The earliest CAPS United, Dynamos and Highlanders can make it to CAF inter-club tournaments is August 2028.
They have all bowed out of contention for the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title and Munhumutapa Challenge Cup.
CAPS United and Highlanders will clash in the semi-final of the Chibuku Super Cup which has been replaced by the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup, as the avenue for the sole CAF Confederation Cup ticket.
Currently, Zimbabwe only has one slot each for the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup following a long run of poor results by the country’s representatives in the tournaments.
The top 12 ranked countries – Algeria, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, DRC, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania and Tunisia – are eligible to field two clubs each in both the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup.
The countries have benefitted from the performance of their clubs in CAF interclub competitions over time while Zimbabwean representatives have failed to make it into the group stages of the respective tournaments.
Teams taking part in the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup are guaranteed US$100,000, which is given to all clubs for the two preliminary rounds while more money goes to the teams which reach the group stage and I varies with results.
Winners of the CAF Champions League will earn US$6 million, losing finalists will pocket US$2 million, semi-finalists earn US$1.2 million each, quarter-finalists walk away with US$900,000 each while the bottom two teams in group stages will earn US$700,000 each from a total of US$19.6 million set aside for the tournament.
The CAF Confederation Cup has US$4 million for the winners, US$1 million for losing finalists while semi-finalists get US$750,000 each, quarter-finalists pocket US$550,000 while teams finishing third or fourth in group stages get US$400,000 each.
The windfalls are however, subject to various deductions.
With Zimbabwe still using the March-December calendar, teams wait eight months before taking part in the CAF tournaments as it is structured around the August-May calendar, which is used by a majority of the leagues in the world.
Teams that will win the 2026 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League and Munhumutapa Challenge Cup will only participate in the CAF tournaments in August 2027 while the teams that win domestic silverware next year can only use their tickets in August 2028.
CAPS United, who led the PSL log standings for the opening 12 match days and were joint-leaders after MatchDay 17, will be officially out of the running for the league championship on Saturday if either Scottland or Hardrock win against ZPC Kariba and Bulawayo Chiefs.
Takesure Chiragwi’s charges are 14 points behind champions Scottland and trail newcomers Hardrock by 13 points with a maximum 15 points to play for, leaving them with a Top Four finish their main target for a season that promised a lot.
CAPS United however, still have the Chibuku Super Cup to chase in their bid to salvage some consolation.
The same applies to Highlanders, who are 19 points behind Scottland in the league with five matches to go, and were booted out of the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup Round of 32 by lowly Blackrock on penalties at the Colliery.
Dynamos, who were sidelined from the 2026/27 CAF Confederation Cup over Saul Chaminuka’s unpaid salaries, will finish the 2026 season empty handed even though they still have a mathematical chance of winning the title.
With five games to go, third-placed Dynamos trail leaders Scottland by 11 points and second-placed Hardrock by 10 points.
They were eliminated from the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup in the Round of 32, going down to Division One side Hwange at the Colliery before surrendering the Chibuku Super Cup in the quarter-final after losing to FC Hunters on penalties
