Warriors Coach Nees Shifts Focus to Africa Cup of Nations Preparations

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa – Warriors coach Michael Nees announced that Zimbabwe will use its final matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers to prepare for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), set for December in Morocco.

Zimbabwe’s World Cup hopes came to an end after a 1-0 loss to Benin on Friday in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. With three qualifiers remaining, Nees is now focusing on shaping a competitive team for Afcon. Zimbabwe has been placed in Group B alongside Egypt, South Africa, and Angola.

“It’s now a project towards the Afcon finals,” Nees said ahead of Tuesday’s match against Rwanda at Orlando Stadium. “At the same time, we need to be fair competitors for the other teams still fighting for qualification. We can’t be accused of not taking these matches seriously. We want to win and get into a winning mood heading into Afcon.”

Nees plans to experiment with new players during these qualifiers. “We will also try out a few new players. While these are World Cup qualifiers we want to win, we also need to show a different face in the coming games,” he added.

The Warriors held their first training session at the University of Johannesburg on Sunday ahead of their final qualifier against Rwanda. All players participated fully, with midfielder Marshall Munetsi rejoining the team for this match. There are no reported injuries within the squad.

Jordan Zemura also emphasized the need for concentration from his teammates. “I think in the next game we are not looking much into making a statement but just showing how much we have progressed since the start of the qualifiers,” he stated. “We want to use these matches to build and grow as a team ahead of Afcon.”

Zemura stressed the importance of consistency as the Warriors prepare for their remaining fixtures. Zimbabwe will host Rwanda on Tuesday, with kick-off scheduled for 3 p.m. CAT.