Zimbabwe Warriors fail to break 10-year jinx

The 2024 season has come to a close with mixed fortunes for Zimbabwean football, and the Warriors have ended the year outside the FIFA top 100 for the tenth consecutive year. Zimbabwe's national team is ranked 121st globally and 33rd in Africa according to the December 2024 FIFA rankings. This represents a modest improvement of three places from the start of the year when the Warriors were ranked 124th.

Zimbabwe first dropped out of the top 100 in October 2014, and despite qualifying for four AFCON finals since then, the team has struggled to regain a position among the elite football nations. The ongoing rankings slump has had several negative consequences for Zimbabwean football, including poor seeding for international tournaments and difficulty attracting high-quality opponents for friendly matches.

"There are so many advantages that come with high rankings," said ZIFA Technical Director Jethro Hunidzarira in an interview with Zimpapers Sports Hub. "Apart from boosting the players' morale, it also helps them get better ratings on the international scene. We need to continue working our way upwards to ensure we have enough resources and time for preparations so that our boys can deliver."

The Warriors' current ranking is especially concerning as it places them among the lower-seeded teams for the upcoming 2025 AFCON draws, where they will be joined by 23 other nations. They are ranked second-last among the AFCON finalists, ahead of only Botswana.

Despite the rankings setback, there was some optimism in Zimbabwean football in 2024, particularly with the appointment of German coach Michael Nees in August. Under Nees, the Warriors experienced a brief period of resurgence, notably securing qualification for the 2025 AFCON with a solid performance in Group J, finishing ahead of Kenya and Namibia. Zimbabwe's only loss in the qualifiers came against Cameroon.

"I think we can be satisfied with the campaign," Nees commented after qualification was secured with a game to spare. "We were undefeated until the match against Cameroon, and when you look at how we started, it was a very positive outcome. The players really played at a very high level."

The coach, however, acknowledged the challenges faced by the team, particularly the lack of home games due to the FIFA suspension and the unavailability of an approved home ground. Zimbabwe played their qualifiers away in Uganda and South Africa. Despite these difficulties, Nees was impressed by the resilience and teamwork demonstrated by the players.

The Warriors' poor performance in the 2025 CHAN qualifiers, where they were eliminated by Eswatini, reversed some of the progress made earlier in the year. Zimbabwe had fielded a largely experimental side for the tournament, which ultimately affected their ranking.

Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, which resume in March, Nees remains optimistic about the team's potential. Zimbabwe currently sits at the bottom of their group with two points from four matches, but Nees believes that with better planning and more time to work with the team, improvements can be made.

"We need to sit down now and plan for the full year. I'm confident because now we have time. The pressure was one of the biggest challenges for this team, and they managed it very well," Nees concluded.

As Zimbabwe closes the chapter on another year of mixed fortunes, the focus is now on rebuilding and improving their FIFA ranking to ensure they are better positioned for upcoming international tournaments.