Londile Moyo
Eddie Chikamhi, [email protected]
THE Munhumutapa Cup, whose draw for the lower tiers will be conducted today across the country, is set to frame a significant week for Zifa leadership, culminating in the long awaited Congress where the association will take stock of progress made over the past year.
The tournament, the biggest and most inclusive in the history of Zimbabwean football, was launched by President Mnangagwa last month.
Zifa yesterday announced that the draws for the preliminary rounds will be conducted today across the provinces, regions and area zones, with matches expected to kick off this weekend nationwide.
The association’s Competitions Manager Kudzai Chitima yesterday outlined the competition’s framework, format, rules and regulations at a Press conference attended by Zifa president Nqobile Magwizi, Acting Chief Executive Officer Norman Gwangwadza, Technical Director Dominique Niyonzima and executive committee member Thomas Marambanyika.
Chitima said the competition would be played on a knockout basis, with clear qualification pathways for all teams taking part.
“We are just saying teams are drawn and the team that plays at home is the one that is drawn first, then the one that is defeated is eliminated, then we go to the next round. So, it will be a knockout format, single elimination.
“In terms of how we are going to be doing it, tomorrow (today) that’s when we will do the draws. We start with the regions. For example, we have four regions in Zimbabwe, Central, Eastern, Southern and Northern. Each has got different teams that they have.
“I’ll give an example of Northern region has got 22 teams, Eastern 20, Southern 18 and Central 18. So, we’ll be using that format of knockout and where the teams do not have an equal number, we’ll do a bye system and it will be all through the drawing of lots so that it becomes fair,” said Chitima.
From the preliminary rounds, each region is expected to produce four teams, which will be joined by 10 provincial teams — one from each province — in the men’s competition.
This will result in 26 teams advancing to the second knockout round. The field will then be reduced to 14 teams — 13 winners and the best placed runner up — who will progress to the third knockout round, where they will be joined by the 18 Premier Soccer League clubs in the round of 32 around June or July.
The competition will then advance through the round of 16, quarter finals and semi finals before culminating in the final. The winners will pocket US$1 million and earn the right to represent Zimbabwe in the CAF Confederation Cup.
A similar process will be followed for women’s football.
The Munhumutapa Cup is a nationwide, annual knockout competition designed to promote development, competitiveness and inclusivity across all levels of the game. With sponsorship totalling US$25 million over the next five years, the tournament is intended to fundamentally reset and modernise football development in Zimbabwe during the 2026 2030 cycle.
Magwizi emphasised the importance of collective effort in achieving the programme’s objectives.
“It needs every one of us to work together, to give input so that we build a strong football ecosystem that we can look back and be proud of as we go into the future. So, I’m very excited because this is a landmark development in terms of the processes from the launch, now we’re doing the update, then the draws, then the matches start.”
Magwizi also noted that the tournament would be preceded by Congress, with the football parliament scheduled to convene this Friday to review developments over the past 15 months since his election.
“I think the team here is also looking to keep the week with the Congress that will be happening on Friday, which again allows members of Congress to review the work that has been done by Zifa over the past year. Things that have been planned, things that were accomplished, and things that we intend to do going into the future. So, it’s a very important week,” said Magwizi.
The domestic football landscape is already bracing for the Munhumutapa Cup, which has been billed as a potential solution to Zimbabwe’s long standing football challenges.
More than 1 000 teams from the lower divisions, Area Zones and the Premiership are expected to participate across men’s and women’s football, futsal, beach soccer and junior football competitions nationwide.
Together with the BancABC Roots Impact Programme for junior football, the Munhumutapa Cup has placed Zifa on a transformative path for domestic football development.
Acting Zifa chief executive officer Gwangwadza said the two competitions are central to the association’s football development agenda.
“These two competitions form part of our broader strategy to strengthen domestic football and to enhance competitiveness in all our football structures. Zifa remains committed to a structured development and professionalisation of football in Zimbabwe. The introduction of these two competitions is deliberate and meant to achieve a couple of objectives.
“Number one, to broaden participation across leagues, regions and provinces. Number two, to provide a competitive platform for talent identification and development. Number three, to strengthen football beyond the traditional league formats and to enhance stakeholder and commercial partner engagement.
“We are placing strong emphasis on governance, transparency and compliance in the organisations of these two programmes. As such, there will be clear rules, there will be clear eligibility criteria and there will be fairness and integrity throughout the tournaments. We are not viewing these tournaments or these programmes as mere tournaments but strategic vehicles to drive growth, visibility and long sustainability of football in the country,” said Gwangwadza.
Online Reporter