Warriors to play 2026 World Cup home matches outside country

Zimbabwe’s Warriors will play their 2026 World Cup home qualifiers outside the country after Confederation of African Football (Caf) left out the National Sports Stadium (NSS) from the list of pre-approved stadiums.

The qualifiers begin this November.

Apparently, the then Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation minister Kirsty Coventry recently claimed that renovations at the stadium will be fast-tracked to “ensure that Warriors play their World Cup matches at home.

Zimbabwe is in Group C of the 2026 Fifa World Cup African qualifiers along with Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Rwanda and Lesotho.

The Warriors begin their campaign away in Rwanda on November 13. A week later, they host Nigeria in a home match which will be played outside Zimbabwe, probably in South Africa.

The qualifiers will start again in June next year when Zimbabwe host Lesotho before travelling to South Africa on June 3 and 6, respectively.

Match Days five and six have been scheduled for March 2025 as the Warriors host Benin before travelling to Nigeria.

In September of the same year, the Warriors travel to Benin before hosting Rwanda.

The reverse fixture against South Africa is on October 6, with the Warriors concluding their campaign away in Lesotho seven days later.