SADC’S GRAND AFCON PARTY

Robson Sharuko

ZIMBABWE’S Warriors are the ONLY team from a SADC member state who have booked their place in ALL the AFCON finals, in which they have taken part in the qualifiers, in the past SEVEN years.

The Warriors secured their place at the 2025 AFCON finals, with a game to spare, after a 1-1 draw against Kenya’s Harambee Stars in Polokwane last week.

It meant that Zimbabwe has taken part at each and every AFCON finals, in which the Warriors have taken part in the qualifiers, since their appearance at the 2017 Nations Cup finals in Gabon.

The Warriors were the only SADC member state in Gabon.

That tournament represented the lowest point, in terms of the SADC member states, when it comes to appearances at the AFCON finals.

The Warriors did not take part in the 2023 AFCON finals in Cote d’Ivoire because they had been barred from the qualifiers as they served a FIFA suspension.

In sharp contrast to AFCON 2017, it will be a grand SADC festival at the 2025 AFCON finals.

Nine of the 16 SADC member states have qualified for the tournament set for Morocco in December next year.

This means that more than half the SADC member states will be represented at the next Nations Cup finals.

It represents an improvement from the seven SADC members who were at the last AFCON finals in Cote d’Ivoire.

Zimbabwe could not be at the showcase as the Warriors were barred from playing the qualifiers due to a FIFA suspension.

There were only three SADC member states – Zimbabwe, Comoros and Malawi – at the 2021 AFCON finals in Cameroon.

There were just five SADC member states – Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Angola, Tanzania and South Africa – at the 2019 AFCON finals in Egypt.

And, there was only ONE SADC member state, Zimbabwe, at the 2017 AFCON finals, in Gabon.

There will be NINE SADC member states – Zimbabwe, Zambia, DR Congo, South Africa, Angola, Comoros, Tanzania, Botswana and Mozambique – at the next AFCON finals in Morocco.

Five SADC member states – South Africa, DR Congo, Zambia, Angola and Comoros – finished top of their group in the qualifiers.

Comoros finished two points clear at the top in Group A and, probably the best result of the qualifiers, shocked Tunisia 1-0 in Tunis.

Angola topped a group which had the Black Stars of Ghana who, in a miserable campaign, finished bottom of the barrel.

The Panthers Negras finished SIX points clear of second-placed Sudan.

Zambia topped a group which had the defending champions, Cote d’Ivoire, after beating the West Africans in Lusaka while both the DR Congo and Bafana Bafana topped their groups comfortably.