The Zimbabwean government has committed to upgrading the National Sports Stadium to meet the minimum standards set by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) before the next set of FIFA World Cup qualifiers in June. Currently, all local stadiums are banned from hosting CAF-sanctioned matches due to not meeting the required standards. This decision comes after Zimbabwe had to host their Group C 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Nigeria in Rwanda, which disappointed local football fans.
Deputy Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Emily Jesaya, declared that the Warriors’ next home match would be played at the National Sports Stadium. NewsDay cites her as saying:
The ministry is aware of the situation with our stadia and it’s one of the key priorities in 2024.
I am sure you heard that in the budget we have been allocated funds which are specifically for the development of our stadiums. We would want to assure the nation that next year 2024, we will see the Warriors play at the National Sports Stadium.
Zimbabwe is set to host Benin for Match Day 3 of the World Cup qualifiers in the first week of June.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has pledged ZWL$136 billion (approximately US$20 million) towards sports development, including the renovation of major stadiums and recreational facilities. The National Sports Stadium, in particular, requires improvements such as bucket seats and electronic entrance gates (turnstiles).
Other efforts to refurbish stadiums include the Harare City Council’s work on Rufaro Stadium and Walter Magaya’s development of a 5,000-seater stadium called Heart Stadium, with plans to expand it to accommodate 25,000 fans.