Zimbabwe national football team

Zimbabwe
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)The Warriors
AssociationZimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA)
ConfederationCAF (Africa)
Sub-confederationCOSAFA (Southern Africa)
Head coachNorman Mapeza (Interim)
CaptainMarvelous Nakamba
Most capsPeter Ndlovu (81)
Top scorerPeter Ndlovu (37)
Home stadiumNational Sports Stadium
FIFA codeZIM
First colours
Second colours
Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current 122 Increase 2 (4 April 2024)[1]
Highest39 (April 1994)
Lowest131 (October 2009, February–March 2016)
First international
 Southern Rhodesia 0–4 Northern Rhodesia 
(Southern Rhodesia; 1946)
Biggest win
 Botswana 0–7 Zimbabwe 
(Gaborone, Botswana; 26 August 1990)
Biggest defeat
 South Africa 7–0 Rhodesia 
(South Africa; 9 April 1977)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances5 (first in 2004)
Best resultGroup stage (2004, 2006, 2017, 2019, 2021)
African Nations Championship
Appearances5 (first in 2009)
Best resultFourth place (2014)
COSAFA Cup
Appearances20 (first in 1997)
Best resultChampions (2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2017, 2018)
Four Nations Football Tournament
Appearances1 (first in 2024)
Best resultRunner-up (2024)
Medal record
COSAFA Cup
Gold medal – first place 2000 Southern Africa
Gold medal – first place 2003 Southern Africa
Gold medal – first place 2005 Southern Africa
Gold medal – first place 2009 Zimbabwe
Gold medal – first place 2017 South Africa
Gold medal – first place 2018 South Africa
Silver medal – second place 1998 Southern Africa
Silver medal – second place 2001 Southern Africa
Silver medal – second place 2013 Zambia Team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 South Africa
CECAFA Cup
Gold medal – first place 1985 Zimbabwe
Silver medal – second place 1983 Kenya
Bronze medal – third place 1982 Uganda

The Zimbabwe national football team (nicknamed The Warriors) represents Zimbabwe in men's international football and is controlled by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA), formerly known as the Football Association of Rhodesia. The team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup finals, but has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations five times. Zimbabwe has also won the COSAFA Cup a record six times. The team represents both FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF).

History

Southern Rhodesia played their first official match against the England Amateur national football team as part of the latter's tour of South Africa and Rhodesia in June 1929. Southern Rhodesia lost their first two matches against England 4–0 and 6–1, respectively.[3] In 1965, following Southern Rhodesia's Unilateral Declaration of Independence as Rhodesia, FIFA requested that the Football Association of Rhodesia reform to be a multi-racial organisation. Prior to this, only white Rhodesians were selected for the national football team but after 1965 the team became multi-racial.[4] In 1969, Rhodesia took part in the Oceanic 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament. This was their first attempt to qualify for the FIFA World Cup. Contrary to the team being viewed as the representative team of white Rhodesians, the team was multi-racial including black players.[5] They were drawn against the Australia national football team. Both legs were held in Lourenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique as the Rhodesian team were unable to get Australian visas. Rhodesia drew the first leg 1–1 but lost the second leg 3–1 thus eliminating Rhodesia from qualification.[5]

In 1980, following the country's reconstitution as Zimbabwe, they played their first FIFA World Cup qualifying match for 11 years against the Cameroon national football team. However they lost 2–1 on aggregate after a 1–0 win in the first leg in Salisbury and a 2–0 loss in the second leg.[6][7] Following this, the country passed a law that people who held British passports would not be permitted to hold a Zimbabwean passport, which mean that players such as goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, who is considered to be Zimbabwe's greatest goalkeeper, [8]were not selected for the national team for 10 years.[9] Following a change in policy that allowed Grobbelaar to play for Zimbabwe, who entered the country on his British passport, Zimbabwe under manager Reinhard Fabisch were one match away from qualifying for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. However, they lost their final qualifying match to Cameroon.[9][10]

In 2004, Zimbabwe qualified for their first Africa Cup of Nations. During their first match against Egypt, their former anthem "Ishe Komborera Africa" was accidentally played instead of "Simudzai Mureza wedu weZimbabwe", an act which Information Minister Jonathan Moyo called "a cheap attempt by the organisers to demoralise our boys".[11]

In 2015, the Zimbabwe national football team were banned from participating in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying due to an unpaid debt to former coach, José Claudinei.[12] At the time, the team was experiencing its strongest period for many years, qualifying for both the 2017 and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

On 1 March 2022, Zimbabwe, along with Kenya, was suspended again from international sport due to the interference of the government. Earlier in November 2021, Harare and Nairobi dissolved their federations and were replaced with government-officials. On 31 March, the suspension was made indefinitely and was ratified by FIFA. Suspension is set until Zimbabwe and Kenya meet the demands given by FIFA. The team has produced some of the finest footballers the likes of the legendary Peter Ndlovu who played for Zimbabwe 100 times. He featured in the English premier for Coventry City, Birmingham City, Sheffield United and Huddersfield. Peter Ndlovu is well remembered for the hatrick he scored at Anfield against Liverpool, Bruce Grobelaar former Liverpool Goalkeeper, Norman Mapeza former Galatasary defender, Benjan Mwaruwaru former Man city player. Knowledge Musona former Anderletch and Bundesliga player. Khama Billiat former Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs player.

Kit provider

Kit provider Period
Italy L-Sporto 2004–2005
Italy Legea 2006–2009
Germany Puma 2010–2012
England Umbro 2013–2014
Spain Joma 2015–2016
Singapore Mafro 2017–2018
England Umbro 2019–2022
Germany Puma 2023–present

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2023

4 September Friendly Zimbabwe  2–2
(5–4 p)		  Namibia Harare, Zimbabwe
  • Msebe 2'
  • F. Banda 36'
 Report
  • Eliakim 30'
  • Kambanda 68'
 Stadium: National Sports Stadium
30 September Friendly Botswana  1–1
(4–3 p)		  Zimbabwe Gaborone, Botswana
16:00 UTC+2
  • Maswena 68'
 Report
  • Chirinda 65'
 Stadium: Botswana National Stadium
15 November 2026 World Cup qualification Rwanda  0–0  Zimbabwe Butare, Rwanda
15:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Stade Huye
Referee: Mohamed Ali Moussa (Niger)
19 November 2026 World Cup qualification Zimbabwe  1–1  Nigeria Butare, Rwanda
15:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Stade Huye
Attendance: 2,876
Referee: Souleiman Ahmed Djama (Djibouti)

2023

23 March Friendly Zambia  2–2
(5–6 p)		  Zimbabwe Lilongwe, Malawi
Report Stadium: Bingu National Stadium
26 March Friendly Zimbabwe  1–3  Kenya Lilongwe, Malawi
Report Stadium: Bingu National Stadium

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Players

Current squad

The following players were selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Rwanda and Nigeria on 15 and 19 November 2023.[13]

Caps and goals are correct as of 19 November 2023, after the match against Nigeria.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Donovan Bernard (1995-07-12) 12 July 1995 (age 28) 3 0 Zimbabwe Chicken Inn
16 1GK Washington Arubi (1985-08-29) 29 August 1985 (age 38) 30 0 South Africa SuperSport United
22 1GK Martin Mapisa (1998-05-25) 25 May 1998 (age 25) 2 0 Spain Málaga City
3 2DF Jordan Zemura (1999-11-14) 14 November 1999 (age 24) 7 0 Italy Udinese
4 2DF Munashe Garananga (2001-01-18) 18 January 2001 (age 23) 1 0 Belgium Mechelen
5 2DF Frank Makarati (1994-03-14) 14 March 1994 (age 30) 1 0 Zimbabwe Dynamos
15 2DF Teenage Hadebe (1995-09-17) 17 September 1995 (age 28) 37 4 United States Houston Dynamo
19 2DF Divine Lunga (1995-05-28) 28 May 1995 (age 28) 20 0 South Africa Mamelodi Sundowns
21 2DF Peter Muduhwa (1993-08-11) 11 August 1993 (age 30) 14 0 Zimbabwe Highlanders
23 2DF Andrew Mbeba (2000-02-19) 19 February 2000 (age 24) 6 0 Zimbabwe Highlanders
20 2DF Tivonge Rushesha (2002-07-24) 24 July 2002 (age 21) 0 0 England Reading
2 3MF Gerald Takwara (1994-10-29) 29 October 1994 (age 29) 16 0 Saudi Arabia Ohod
6 3MF Brian Banda (1995-09-09) 9 September 1995 (age 28) 7 0 Zimbabwe Platinum
7 3MF Tanaka Shandirwa (1999-12-04) 4 December 1999 (age 24) 3 0 Zimbabwe Dynamos
8 3MF Marshall Munetsi (1996-06-22) 22 June 1996 (age 27) 25 1 France Stade de Reims
10 3MF Andy Rinomhota (1997-04-21) 21 April 1997 (age 26) 1 0 Wales Cardiff City
18 3MF Marvelous Nakamba (1994-01-19) 19 January 1994 (age 30) 28 0 England Luton Town
9 4FW Terrence Dzvukamanja (1994-05-05) 5 May 1994 (age 29) 16 0 South Africa SuperSport United
11 4FW Tino Kadewere (1996-01-05) 5 January 1996 (age 28) 24 3 France Nantes
12 4FW Walter Musona (1995-12-12) 12 December 1995 (age 28) 6 1 Zimbabwe Platinum
13 4FW Obriel Chirinda (1997-01-28) 28 January 1997 (age 27) 6 1 Zimbabwe Bulawayo Chiefs
14 4FW Prince Dube (1997-02-17) 17 February 1997 (age 27) 16 7 Tanzania Azam
17 4FW Admiral Muskwe (1998-08-21) 21 August 1998 (age 25) 7 1 England Exeter City

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up for Zimbabwe in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up

DEC Player refused to join the team after the call-up.
INJ Player withdrew from the squad due to an injury.
PRE Preliminary squad.
RET Player has retired from international football.
SUS Suspended from the national team, red or yellow cards.

Records

As of 19 November 2023[14]
Players in bold are still active with Zimbabwe.

Most appearances

Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Peter Ndlovu 81 37 1991–2007
2 John Phiri U 62 1 1983–1997
3 Adam Ndlovu 57 34 1990–2004
4 Esrom Nyandoro 56 4 2001–2012
5 Dumisani Mpofu 52 0 1996–2006
Knowledge Musona 52 25 2010–present
7 Khama Billiat 51 17 2011–2021
8 Ovidy Karuru 50 7 2007–2021
9 Ronald Sibanda 49 3 1997–2007
10 Onismor Bhasera 45 0 2006–present
Note: U indicates that a player's statistics are unverified.

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Peter Ndlovu 37 81 0.46 1991–2007
2 Adam Ndlovu 34 57 0.6 2010–2012
3 Knowledge Musona 25 52 0.48 2010–present
4 Agent Sawu 18 57 0.32 1990–2004
5 Khama Billiat 17 48 0.35 2011–2021
6 Vitalis Takawira 12 30 0.4 1992–1998
7 Luke Jukulile 10 15 0.67 2000–2001
Benjani Mwaruwari 10 42 0.24 1999–2010
9 Cuthbert Malajila 9 32 0.28 2008–2017
10 Gilbert Mushangazhike 8 26 0.31 1997–2008
Benjamin Nkonjera 8 28 0.29 1993–1998

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup Qualification
Year Round Position Pld W D* L F A Pld W D L F A
1930 to 1962 Part of  United Kingdom Part of  United Kingdom
as  Rhodesia as  Rhodesia
England 1966 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1970 Did not qualify from Asia/Oceania zone 3 0 2 1 2 4
West Germany 1974 Did not enter Did not enter
Argentina 1978
as  Zimbabwe as  Zimbabwe
Spain 1982 Did not qualify from African zone 2 1 0 1 1 2
Mexico 1986 2 0 1 1 1 2
Italy 1990 4 0 1 3 1 10
United States 1994 10 6 2 2 11 10
France 1998 8 2 2 4 10 10
South Korea Japan 2002 8 6 0 2 11 6
Germany 2006 12 5 3 4 17 16
South Africa 2010 6 1 3 2 4 6
Brazil 2014 6 0 2 4 4 9
Russia 2018 Expelled from qualifying competition[15] Expelled from qualifying competition
Qatar 2022 Did not qualify from African zone 8 1 2 5 5 9
Canada Mexico United States 2026 To be determined 2 0 2 0 1 1
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 To be determined
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total — 0/15 — — — — — — 71 22 20 29 68 85

Africa Cup of Nations

Africa Cup of Nations record
Appearances: 5
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Sudan 1957 to Nigeria 1980 Not affiliated to CAF
Libya 1982 to Mali 2002 Did not qualify
Tunisia 2004 Group stage 14th 3 1 0 2 6 8
Egypt 2006 13th 3 1 0 2 2 5
Ghana 2008 to Equatorial Guinea 2015 Did not qualify
Gabon 2017 Group stage 14th 3 0 1 2 4 8
Egypt 2019 21st 3 0 1 2 1 6
Cameroon 2021 17th 3 1 0 2 3 4
Ivory Coast 2023 Disqualified due to FIFA suspension
Morocco 2025 To be determined
Kenya Tanzania Uganda 2027
African Union 2029
African Union 2031
African Union 2033
African Union 2035
African Union 2037
Total Group stage 5/41 15 3 2 10 16 31

African Nations Championship

African Nations Championship record
Appearances: 5
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Ivory Coast 2009 Group stage 6th 3 0 3 0 3 3
Sudan 2011 11th 3 1 0 2 2 3
South Africa 2014 Fourth place 4th 6 2 3 1 3 2
Rwanda 2016 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 1 3
Morocco 2018 Did not qualify
Cameroon 2020 Group stage 16th 3 0 0 3 1 5
Algeria 2022 Did not qualify
Total Fourth place 5/7 18 3 7 8 10 16

African Games

African Games
Year Result M W D L GF GA
1965-1987 DNE
1991–present See Zimbabwe national under-23 football team
Total 4/4 0 0 0 0 0 0

COSAFA Cup

  • 1997 – Qualifying round
  • 1998 – Second place
  • 1999 – Quarter-finals
  • 2000 – Winners
  • 2001 – Second place
  • 2002 – Quarter-finals
  • 2003 – Winners
  • 2004 – Semi-finals
  • 2005 – Winners
  • 2006 – Semi-finals
  • 2007 – First round
  • 2008 – Quarter-finals
  • 2009 – Winners
  • 2010 – Cancelled
  • 2013 – Second place
  • 2015 – Group stage
  • 2016 – Group stage
  • 2017 – Winners
  • 2018 – Winners
  • 2019 – Third place
  • 2020 – Cancelled
  • 2021 – Group stage

CECAFA Cup

  • 1981 – Group stage
  • 1982 – Third place
  • 1983 – Second place
  • 1984 – Group stage
  • 1985 – Winners
  • 1987 – Second place
  • 1988 – Fourth place
  • 1989 – Group stage
  • 1990 – Group stage
  • 2009 – Quarter-finals
  • 2011 – Quarter-finals

Honours

References

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  3. ^ "England Matches – Unofficial". Englandfootballonline.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  4. ^ Gilchrist, Paul (2013). The Politics of Sport: Community, Mobility, Identity. Routledge. p. 51. ISBN 978-1317990994.
  5. ^ a b "When Rhodesia flirted with the World Cup". FIFA.com. 29 August 2016. Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Cameroon national football team: record v Zimbabwe". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises Limited. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  7. ^ "1982 FIFA World Cup Spain – Matches – Zimbabwe-Cameroon". FIFA.com. 23 July 2016. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Bruce Grobbelaar: Zimbabwe's Legendary Goalkeeper". Boxscore World Sportswire. 28 August 2022. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  9. ^ a b Hawkey, Ian. "When Peter Ndlovu and Bruce Grobbelaar made Zimbabwe dare to dream". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  10. ^ "World Cup 1994 Qualifying". Rsssf. 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Anger over Zimbabwe anthem gaffe". BBC News. 26 January 2004. Archived from the original on 29 February 2004. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  12. ^ "Zimbabwe expelled from 2018 World Cup". BBC Sport. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  13. ^ "Final 23". twitter.com/online_zifa. Zimbabwe Football Association Twitter. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Zimbabwe". National Football Teams.
  15. ^ "Zimbabwe expelled from the preliminary competition of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia". FIFA.com. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015.
  16. ^ Chaudhuri, Arunava; Stokkermans, Karel (2001). "Afro-Asian Games 2003". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2020.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zimbabwe national football team.
  • Zimbabwe Football Association at CAF online
  • Zimbabwe Football Association at FIFA
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