Warriors hopeful of hosting World Cup Qualifiers at NSS

The Zimbabwean national football team, the Warriors, remain hopeful that they will be able to host Rwanda and South Africa at home for their remaining 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, provided renovations at the National Sports Stadium (NSS) are completed on schedule.

Zimbabwe is set to play its final two home matches of the qualifiers against Rwanda in September and South Africa in October. Their other fixtures against Benin and Lesotho are scheduled to take place in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and South Africa, respectively.

If all goes according to plan, as promised by Cabinet, the Warriors could finally return to playing on home soil before the conclusion of their World Cup Group C campaign.

During his post-Cabinet media briefing, Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Jenfan Muswere, confirmed that the government was pushing to ensure the stadium is ready before the end of the year.

"And at the same time, I want to assure you that before year-end, we believe that this stadium would have been completed in terms of the renovations that are taking place, including the bucket seats," Dr. Muswere said.

"We have highlighted that the gym facilities have been finalised. This is part of the National Sports Stadium capacitation in terms of equipment and also in terms of the refurbishment that has been taking place.

"We have also highlighted that the installation is ongoing with Block 19, 20, and 21 having been completed. This is progress that has been registered in terms of the Ministry of Sports."

The upgrade of the stadium comes as a welcome development for the Warriors, who have been forced to play their home matches on foreign soil, particularly in South Africa, due to the unavailability of a CAF-approved stadium in Zimbabwe.

Nigeria Raises Concern Over South Africa's 'Home Advantage'

The situation has also raised concerns from Nigeria, who argue that South Africa is benefiting from an unfair advantage since Zimbabwe and Lesotho have been using the country as their home venue.

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has since raised the matter with FIFA, pointing out that South Africa's matches against Zimbabwe and Lesotho should ideally be played in a neutral venue to maintain fairness in the qualifiers.

"This contravenes the principles of fair play by giving South Africa an unfair advantage in the race to qualify for the World Cup," an NFF official was quoted as saying by Africa Soccer.

Currently, South Africa leads Group C with 13 points from six matches, positioning themselves well for World Cup qualification. Rwanda and Benin follow with eight points each, while Nigeria sits fourth with seven points. Lesotho and Zimbabwe round off the standings with six and four points, respectively.

With crucial matches ahead, the possibility of the Warriors returning to their home ground could provide them with the much-needed boost as they aim to improve their standing in the qualifiers.