Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda-Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE new season has barely begun and already the mood around the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League feels different.
Every season starts with predictions. Supporters debate who looks strongest, coaches insist the race will be open and club officials talk carefully about targets.
Yet beneath those familiar conversations another reality is forming. Money has begun to move around the game again.
New clubs are arriving with confidence. Old giants are restless after seasons that did not go their way.
That mix of ambition and uncertainty gives the 2026 campaign an edge Zimbabwean football has not felt for a while.
At the centre of it all stand the champions. Scottland do not enter the season quietly. Their rise last year was already remarkable after winning the title in their debut Premier Soccer League campaign.
Now, they begin again with the confidence of a team that believes it belongs at the top.
The early warning came at Rufaro Stadium when they dismantled Dynamos 5-0 in the Castle Challenge Cup.
It was officially a curtain raiser, but the afternoon felt more like a statement.
Norman Mapeza watched his new team play with calm authority that suggested very little had been lost from the side that lifted the trophy last year.
Emmanuel Ziocha, Tymon Machope, Knowledge Musona, Walter Musona and Khama Billiat all scored that afternoon, and Billiat did not even start the match.
Depth like that is rare in the local game.
Scottland have added midfielder Abubakar Moffat, while keeping a defensive spine built around Issaka Mohamed, Peter Muduhwa, Kelvin Moyo and Kwake Twala.
The structure remains strong, the attack carries experience and goals, and the dressing room knows what winning a title feels like. It is the kind of platform most champions would dream about.
Yet this season may not allow Scottland the comfort of defending their crown in a quiet league.
In Kwekwe, Hardrock have arrived with the confidence of a club determined to change the conversation quickly.
The new boys already possess one of the most modern homes in the domestic game. Chahwanda Stadium stands as a visible symbol of ambition, and the recruitment drive around the club has matched that boldness.
Washington Navaya, the reigning Soccer Star of the Year, headlines the squad while Donald Mudadi, runner up in the 2023 Soccer Star race, has also joined the project.
Goalkeepers Tonderai Mateyaunga and Martin Mapisa strengthen the last line, while Munashe Bamara and Tinotenda Muringai bring control to the midfield.
Out wide, Nigel Matinha and Samuel Makawa promise pace and delivery, and experienced defender Munyaradzi Diro Nyenye remains one of the leaders in the dressing room.
Coach Kelvin Kaindu has assembled a group filled with recognisable names.
The challenge now lies in turning that collection of talent into a team capable of surviving the rhythm and pressure of a full league season.
Another ambitious project waits in the wings.
MWOS surprised almost everyone last year when they finished second in their first season in the top flight.
What looked like a dream campaign has now raised expectations around the club, and owner Patrick Tamson is no longer speaking about learning the league. The message has changed. The title is the target. Coach Lloyd Mutasa has resisted the temptation to tear everything down and start again.
The defensive trio of Panashe Nyabunze, Valentine Katsande and Innocent Zambezi remains intact, while Tinotenda “Dhiziri” Mutyambizi, Matthew Murambiwa and Malvern Mudzuka continue to run the midfield.
Billy Veremu scored 13 goals last season and remains the focal point in attack.
The arrival of goalkeeper Tedious Baye, striker Nigel Makumbe and Southern Region top scorer Marcelino Mlilo gives the squad more depth as MWOS try to close the gap that separated them from Scottland last year.
CAPS United also approach the season with a quiet sense of possibility.
Hardlife Zvirekwi joked recently that the club tends to win championships in years that end with the number six.
Supporters will smile at the superstition, but what matters more is the recruitment.
The Green Machine have drawn heavily from the squad that helped Ngezi Platinum Stars win the title in 2023.
Obriel Chirinda, Kudzai Chigwida, Talent Chamboko, Richard Hachiro, Takunda Benhura and Delic Murimba have all arrived.
Brett Amidu joined from Manica Diamonds, while Malawian striker Kaonga Chawananga offers another option in attack.
In the dugout stands Takesure Chiragwi, the same coach who guided Ngezi to the championship two seasons ago. It is not difficult to see the outline of a team that believes it can compete again.
While those projects gather momentum, some of the league’s traditional powers begin the season in a more reflective mood.
Dynamos escaped relegation last year after a remarkable late revival under Kelvin Kaindu. The coach has since departed and Genesis Mangombe has returned to the dugout.
Several influential players have left. Emmanuel Jalai, Prince Tafiremutsa and Issaka Mohamed are among those no longer wearing the blue shirt.
New arrivals such as Stanley Billiat and Democratic Republic of Congo defender Isaac Landu offer fresh options, but the heavy defeat to Scottland in the Challenge Cup reminded everyone that rebuilding takes patience.
Highlanders enter their centenary season surrounded by renewed optimism.
Businessman Wicknell Chivayo has brought financial stability and the club recently unveiled a luxury team bus that quickly became a talking point among supporters. Behind the scenes, Benjani Mwaruwari leads the technical team alongside Bekithemba Ndlovu and Mkokheli Dube.
Nigerian striker Benjamin Adeogun, former Warriors winger Kudakwashe Mahachi and defender Rainsome Pavari are among the additions as Bosso attempt to move away from the anxiety of last season’s relegation battle.
Elsewhere in the league, a group of clubs quietly believe they can disturb the established order.
TelOne finished fifth last year and coach Herbert Maruwa believes the Gweru side can climb higher.
Reinforcements such as Innocent Mucheneka, striker Jerry Chipangura and midfielder Tyrone Matongorere suggest the WiFi Boys intend to remain competitive.
Chicken Inn have turned to experience in the dugout.
Tonderai Ndiraya, who has won the championship twice, now leads the Gamecocks. The squad includes Malawi’s Binwell, Ethiopian forward Hapmo Ngnowa and local arrivals Marvelous Faranando and Francis Mustafa.
At FC Platinum, a new era has begun following the departure of Norman Mapeza, the coach who guided the club to three league titles. Joel Lupahla now leads a side that still features key players such as Divine Mhindirira and Jarrison Selemani, while welcoming goalkeeper Raphael Pitisi and Namibian striker Tjahikika Mbakondja.
Simba Bhora have also changed direction after losing several key players.
Mandla Mpofu now leads the Shamva side and has recruited three Namibian players, while keeping experienced performers like Blessing Moyo, Webster Tafa and goalkeeper William Thole.
For several other clubs, the season will revolve less around ambition and more around survival.
Herentals continue to rely on organisation and discipline under Paul Benza.
ZPC Kariba will again hope the unforgiving heat of Kariba becomes an advantage during the long season.
Bulawayo Chiefs return to the Premiership determined to stay there after strengthening with the arrivals of Brian Muza and Melikhaya Ncube.
Agama make history as the first club from Mt Darwin district to reach the Premier Soccer League and will rely on a mixture of foreign recruits and the players who carried them to the Northern Region title.
FC Hunters have already shown signs of organisation after their opening draw with MWOS and could frustrate more established teams under experienced coach Nesbert Saruchera.
Manica Diamonds face a difficult campaign after losing several senior players, while Ngezi Platinum Stars begin a rebuilding process following the departure of key members of their 2023 championship squad.
Triangle United may once again find themselves fighting to avoid the drop.
Across the league, the pattern is becoming clearer.
Some clubs are building ambitious projects powered by investment and infrastructure, while others are rebuilding cautiously or simply trying to hold their ground.
Thirty-four weeks from now the table will reveal which approach worked.
For now, Scottland remain the benchmark, beginning the campaign with the strongest squad, the momentum of champions and a coach who knows exactly how to win in Zimbabwean football.
Yet the feeling around the game is that the order is shifting.
New money has entered the room. Ambitious clubs are no longer waiting for their turn. The giants want their power back.
And if these early signals mean anything, the race for the 2026 title could grow into one of the most compelling seasons the league has seen in years.
