Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE’S quest to qualify for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games will begin next month when the Young Warriors take on Mauritius in the opening round of the TotalEnergies CAF Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The Young Warriors were paired against the Indian Ocean islanders during the draw conducted in Cairo yesterday. They were among the 28 lower-ranked nations set to feature in the preliminary round.
Zimbabwe’s Under-23 side, now under the guidance of Spanish coach Marc Sanchez and his assistant Wilson Mutekede, will host the first leg on September 28 before travelling for the return encounter on October 6. The qualifying campaign marks Zimbabwe’s return to the competition after missing the 2023 Under-23 AFCON qualifiers and, consequently, the race for a place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games due to the FIFA suspension that side-lined the country from international football.
There is also renewed optimism that local supporters will be able to rally behind the team on home soil, with the National Sports Stadium recently cleared to host international matches after a five-year hiatus.
Should Zimbabwe overcome Mauritius, a significantly tougher challenge awaits in the second round against Mali, one of Africa’s most successful youth football nations and are regarded as being among the continent’s strongest teams at junior level.
Zimbabwe need to go past Mauritius and Mali to advance to the final qualifying round, where a place at the 2027 CAF Under-23 AFCON finals would be at stake.
The winners of the Zimbabwe-Mauritius-Mali tie will face either Eswatini, Malawi or Algeria in the decisive round of qualifiers.
ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi recently stated the association’s commitment to creating national teams capable of competing consistently on the continental and global stage.
“Ultimately, we want national teams capable of consistently qualifying for and competing at AFCON, WAFCON, the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cups. We are moving away from competition-to-competition thinking and towards generation-to-generation planning,” said Magwizi.
A total of 43 nations have entered the race for places at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2027, with hosts Egypt automatically qualifying for the finals.
The remaining 42 teams will battle for seven available places through three rounds of home-and-away qualifiers.
Under CAF’s qualifying format, 28 countries, including Zimbabwe, begin in the first round, while 14 higher-ranked nations have received byes into the second round based on their performances in the previous three editions of the tournament.
The seven successful teams from the final qualifying round will join hosts Egypt at the eight-team continental finals.
But the road to Los Angeles promises to be a demanding one, with only two African teams guaranteed places at the 2028 Olympic Games.
