Online Reporter
Petros Kausiyo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
IN the next nine days, Zimbabwe’s next generation of Warriors will be on show as they seek to conquer their age-mates in the TotalEnergies CAF Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2026 COSAFA Qualifiers, which will explode at the Heart Stadium in Harare and Ngoni in Norton starting today.
Hosts Zimbabwe will face Mozambique in a Group A showdown at Ngoni at 3pm, their match coming just after Comoros and would have taken on Eswatini in a mid-day the tournament opener.
And as skipper Tadiwa Chakuchichi and his teammates brace for the first COSAFA Under-17 on home soil, the Young Warriors yesterday received the back of the last coach to succeed with this national youth side – Rodwell Dhlakama.
Dhlakama, now in charge of Premier Soccer League side GreenFuel enjoyed success with the Young Warriors in 2007, winning gold medals in the COSAFA Under-17, COSAFA Under-20, and the ANOCA Zone Six Under-18 tournaments, with a team that had the likes of Knowledge Musona, Qadr Amini, the late George Chigova and Khama Billiat.
The seasoned coach also guided the Under-17 team to the African Youth Championships in 2009 and 2009.
An unassuming mentor with passion for the grassroots game, Dhlakama reckons that success by the hosts in the 2025 COSAFA Under-17 will also reignite interests in the country’s biggest sport.
“The upcoming COSAFA Under-17 tournament in Zimbabwe presents a golden opportunity for the nation’s football development, potentially serving as a catalyst for growth and progress in the sport,’’ Dhlakama said.
“As a coach who has experienced triumph in similar competitions in Namibia and Lesotho, I am confident that this tournament will be a motivating force for our young talents and junior development programs across the country’’.
Dhlakama urged ZIFA to look back and draw some lessons from some of the development programmes that ensured the Young Warriors succeeded at such platforms like the COSAFA tournament.
He also offered his advice to the authorities to consider when charting the development roadmap, itself a major priority of the Nqobile Magwizi leadership.
“Drawing from our successful school programmes and academies, which have produced exceptional players like Knowledge Musona, Khama Billiat, Qadr Amini, Erick Chipeta, Washington Arubi, Kuda Mahachi, the late George Chigova, Marvelous Nakamba, Archieford Gutu and Brian Abbas Amidu, we can build on this legacy.
“To improve our chances in the forthcoming tournament, I propose the following preparation strategies:
Intensive Training Camps: Organise regular training camps focusing on skill development, tactical awareness and physical conditioning
Scouting and talent identification: Identify and recruit promising young players from schools and academies nationwide
Coaching and Mentorship: Provide experienced coaches and mentors to guide the players, emphasising technical skills, teamwork and sportsmanship
Competitive Friendlies: Arrange friendly matches against strong opponents to test our team’s readiness and build confidence even premier league teams
Mental Preparation: Incorporate sports psychology to enhance focus, resilience and teamwork among the players
Infrastructure Development: Ensure that training facilities and equipment meet international standards to optimise player development’’.
It is Dhlakama’s contention that “By implementing these strategies, Zimbabwe can maximise its potential and make a strong impression in the COSAFA Under-17 tournament, ultimately contributing to the growth and success of football in the COSAFA region and beyond.
ZIFA perspective
Dhlakama’s sentiments also resonate with those of ZIFA boss Magwizi.
Magwizi underscored the significance of the tournament to helping the budding footballers fulfil their dreams of becoming professional players.
“This tournament is about young people; it is about the boys who will step onto the pitch with dreams far greater than themselves. It is about coaches who mould character as much as they sharpen tactics.
“It is about referees whose professionalism will be enhanced by the historic use of Video Assistant Referee technology, for the very first time on Zimbabwean soil.
“But we must be honest with ourselves. Zimbabwean football has known difficult seasons, times when opportunities were squandered, when trust was strained and when our game lost its intensity.
“Today we stand at a new threshold. This tournament must show that we are capable of staging competitions with efficiency, with fairness and with pride.
“It must be a symbol of renewal,’’ Magwizi said.
That symbol of renewal could be epitomised by how coach Thulani Sibanda’s class of 2025 acquit themselves on home soil and before their parents, brothers, sisters, schoolmates and friends, who expected to turn Ngoni into a carnival atmosphere as they look to top Group A.
A golden generation in the making
But with Chakuchichi leading a cast of some of the finest young talent in the country that have been together since their days in the CAF Under-15 Schools tourney hosted in Harare in 2023, the Young Warriors look set to cheer the nation’s spirits which have been dampened by their out of sorts seniors – the Warriors – who have remained winless in their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign.
That home-grown talented crop includes Legends Football Academy star winger Tatenda Maulidi, prolific striker El Shaddai Sadomba of Golden Eagles Academy, Pamushana goalkeeper Siyanda Zimba and pint-sized Awakhiwe Tshalibe of Chicken Inn.
They also boast the talents of their foreign legion, which includes Leeds United prodigy Takudzwa Chinyowa Jameson Nduna (SuperSport United), Takudzwa Chinyowa (Leeds United) and Irvine Mtungwazi (Ubuntu Cape Town).
“The camp has been great. We have been in camp for a week now. And I feel like as boys we are getting together while we are preparing for the tournament.
“We are having fun every day. Just putting in the hard work and the hard shift to pull out the results. Everyone wants to win, so we also want to win. So, we are just preparing for that,” said Chakuchichi.
Zambia who are in Group B arrived in Harare as the defending champions and the most successful side in COSAFA U17 history, having lifted the title in 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2024.
They will open their title defence in a potential humdinger against the second-most successful side in the championship – South Africa, while last year’s beaten finalists Angola are the bookmakers’ favourites to top Group C.
With the top three sides of this competition punching their tickets to the TotalEnergies CAF U17 Africa Cup of Nations next year, there could not have been any better motivation for Chakuchichi and his troops to shine on home soil.
That the best teams on the continent will then battle for one of 10 African slots at the FIFA U17 World Cup should further spur the Young Warriors to want to etch their names in history and become the first Zimbabwean team to feature at the global showpiece.
But before they can look ahead to all that, the Young Warriors must begin their long journey with victory at Ngoni this afternoon, over a Mozambican outfit, who are regarded as their toughest opponents in Group A.
