Warriors out to break Egypt curse

The Warriors have settled into Morocco's biting winter conditions and are putting the finishing touches to their preparations ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group B opener against Egypt at the Stade d'Agadir tomorrow night.

The biennial continental showpiece gets underway today, with hosts Morocco facing Comoros in Rabat. Zimbabwe will begin their campaign against the Pharaohs for the third time in 21 years, having been drawn alongside Egypt, South Africa and Angola in a demanding Group B.

Coach Marian "Mario" Marinica and his squad relocated to Agadir from Casablanca, where they had been in camp since arriving in Morocco on Tuesday. The team held an initial training session after the road trip and will conclude preparations today with targeted drills before facing the seven-time African champions.

History looms large over the fixture. Zimbabwe have previously met Egypt in their opening AFCON group match twice, in 2004 and 2019, and suffered narrow defeats on both occasions. At their tournament debut in Tunisia in 2004, the Warriors lost 2–1 to Egypt before exiting at the group stage. Fifteen years later, they again opened against the same opponents, going down 1–0 at the 2019 finals in Egypt and once more failing to progress beyond the pools.

Marinica is acutely aware that the opening match can shape the direction of the entire tournament and is determined to steer the Warriors away from familiar disappointment. The Romanian brings valuable AFCON experience, having guided Malawi to the Round of 16 at the 2021 finals, which were staged in 2022 in Cameroon. That achievement sets him apart, as he becomes the first coach to lead Zimbabwe into an AFCON campaign with prior knockout-stage experience at the tournament.

Zimbabwe's AFCON history has been unforgiving, with previous coaches including Sunday Chidzambwa in 2004 and 2019, Charles Mhlauri in 2006, Kalisto Pasuwa in 2017 and Norman Mapeza in 2021 all failing to take the Warriors beyond the group stages. Marinica is also the first foreign coach to lead Zimbabwe at AFCON finals.

Acknowledging the strength of Group B, Marinica accepts Zimbabwe's underdog status but insists it should not burden his players. He described Egypt as the most successful team in African football, while also highlighting South Africa's recent rise and Angola's quality, noting that all three opponents boast players competing at high levels abroad. Despite this, he said Zimbabwe are in Morocco to compete, not merely to participate, and will implement a clear strategy aimed at challenging their opponents.

Marinica added that the players are in high spirits and eager to give their best on the field.

The Warriors' preparations suffered a late setback on Friday when midfielder Andy Rinomhota withdrew from camp due to family reasons. The Reading player will not be replaced, as CAF regulations only permit squad changes after the group stages.

Despite the setback, captain Marvelous Nakamba has urged the squad to remain focused and fearless, calling on his teammates to give everything against Egypt and set the tone for the rest of the campaign from the opening whistle.