Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda, Zimpapers Sports Hub
Zimbabwe and Eswatini football ties have grown this season, with the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League becoming a preferred destination for some of Eswatini’s top players.
Most of those exports have come from Eswatini champions Nsingizini Hotspurs.
Newman Philiso is now at Agama, Kwakhe Twala has joined Scottland FC, and the Hardrock quartet of Thubelihle Mavuso, Sizwe Khumalo, Neliswa “Tiger” Dhlamini and Sambulo Simelane have also crossed the border.
However, those cordial relations will be put aside when the 2026/27 Caf Champions League kicks off next month.
Zimbabwean champions Scottland FC have been drawn against Eswatini champions Nsingizini Hotspurs in the First Preliminary Round.
The first leg is scheduled for the weekend of September 4-6, with Mabviravira hosting Insingizi Yezulu.
The return leg will be played the following weekend between September 11-13 in Eswatini.
If Scottland FC progress, they will face either Mozambique’s UD Songo or Angola’s Petro Atletico in the Second Preliminary Round in October.
The draw was conducted by former Rwanda captain Olivier Karekezi at Caf headquarters in Cairo on Thursday afternoon.
lthough Scottland FC avoided a potential meeting with reigning champions Mamelodi Sundowns in the Second Preliminary Round, coach Norman Mapeza is not underestimating Nsingizini.
The two teams met in a pre-season friendly in February, and the Eswatini champions won 2-0.
Nsingizini also has recent pedigree against Zimbabwe opposition after knocking out Simba Bhora in last season’s Caf Champions League preliminary round on penalties following a 1-1 aggregate draw.
“It’s not going to be easy because Nsingizini Hotspurs are a very good side,” Mapeza told Zimpapers Sports Hub shortly after the draw.
“Remember they knocked out Simba Bhora last season,” he added.
The experienced coach guided FC Platinum to the Caf Champions’ League group stage in consecutive campaigns between 2018 and 2020.
Because of that experience, Mapeza knows how demanding the preliminary rounds can be. He believes football in Eswatini has improved significantly in recent years.
“They have been doing well in Eswatini. You can see that their football is evolving,” said Mapeza. “There are no smaller teams anymore in Africa.”
Reflecting on Scotland’s pre-season defeat, Mapeza said the context mattered.
“We played them in pre-season, and we lost, but it was more about preparations, and we were only two weeks into pre-season,” he said. “For them to be champions of Eswatini shows they are doing well.”
“There is quality in their ranks if you look at the calibre of players they have exported to Zimbabwe, especially to Hardrock and us at Scottland.”
Despite Mapeza’s caution, Scottland FC commands huge respect across the region.
Backed by gold magnate Pedzai “Scott” Sakupwanya, the club’s financial muscle and pulling power have earned them a new nickname in Eswatini.
Sections of the Eswatini media have described Scottland as the “Mamelodi Sundowns of Zimbabwe.”
An Eswatini journalist told Zimpapers Sports Hub that Scottland’s profile has grown rapidly.
“Yes, a lot of football fans here now know a lot about Scottland and Zimbabwean football because several Eswatini players are now playing there in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League. That’s why they feel this is a tricky draw,” he added.
Scottland FC must negotiate two preliminary rounds to reach the lucrative group stage.
Even if they are eliminated in the First Preliminary Round, the Zimbabwean champions are guaranteed US$100,000.
The winners of the TotalEnergies Caf Champions League will pocket US$6 million in prize money.
South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns are the reigning African champions after beating Morocco’s AS FAR in last season’s final.
