Highlanders coach and former Zimbabwe captain Benjani Mwaruwari has urged the nation to judge the Warriors’ opening Africa Cup of Nations qualifier by more than the final score when they face Sierra Leone in El Jadida, Morocco, on Thursday night.
Zimbabwe begin their 2027 AFCON campaign against the Leone Stars at Stade El Abdi, where kick-off is scheduled for 9pm Central Africa Time. Sierra Leone are the designated home side, but the match has been moved to Morocco after the West Africans were unable to provide a stadium that met the Confederation of African Football’s requirements.
The fixture will be the first competitive match in charge for Spanish coach Ramon Catalá, who was appointed in August on a four-year contract. His arrival has brought a fresh technical direction to the Warriors, but the new coach has had little time to work with his players before a qualifying campaign in which every early point will matter.
Mwaruwari said the short preparation period should be taken into account when the team’s performance is assessed.
“Football can be a cruel game sometimes. You can play well and still not get the result, so we also need to look at the philosophy the new coach is bringing and how the players are responding to his ideas,” said Mwaruwari.
The former Warriors captain knows the pressure that comes with taking over the national team. Coaches are expected to change results quickly, even when they have had only a handful of training sessions to introduce new ideas, build combinations and understand the strengths of players arriving from clubs in different countries.
Catalá has made it clear that he wants Zimbabwe to play with greater attacking intent. Possession, pressing and an aggressive approach are expected to be central to his plan. The match against Sierra Leone will therefore offer the first serious indication of how quickly the players can adapt to the demands of a new system.
The coach’s preparations have already been affected by injuries. Zimbabwe will be without forwards Tinotenda Kadewere and Prince Dube, as well as Liverpool defender Isaac Mabaya. Their absence has reduced Catalá’s options in attack and defence, but it has also opened the door for other members of the squad to take on greater responsibility.
Marshall Munetsi, Marvelous Nakamba and Andy Rinomhota are expected to provide experience in midfield, while Tawanda Maswanhise and Thando Ngwenya give the coach further attacking options. Tawanda Chirewa, who has joined the squad from England, is also among the players expected to offer pace and creativity in the final third.
The Warriors began their preparations in Casablanca, training at Raja Athletic Club as players arrived from their clubs. Nineteen players were initially in camp, with Divine Lunga and Maswanhise expected to complete the main group. The squad has had to move quickly from arrival and recovery work to tactical preparation for a match that comes at the start of a demanding international window.
“It is good to have the players together and begin our work on the pitch,” Catalá said. “We have an important match ahead of us, and our focus is on preparing properly, understanding our responsibilities and playing as a team. We want to represent Zimbabwe with pride and give ourselves the best possible opportunity to start positively.”
Sierra Leone have also had to adjust their plans. Midfielder Hindolo Mustapha and defender Emmanuel Samadia have been ruled out after initially being included in the Leone Stars’ squad. Coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa has selected a 25-man group that includes Osman Kakay, Juma Bah, Tyrese Fornah and Sullay Kaikai, as well as players from the domestic league.
The match is the opening contest in Group E, which also contains the Democratic Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea. The group’s other first-round fixture sees the DRC face Equatorial Guinea. Zimbabwe will host the DRC on Monday, four days after the trip to El Jadida, while Sierra Leone will meet Equatorial Guinea in the second round of matches.
The qualifying competition will be played across six matchdays. The teams finishing first and second in groups without one of the three tournament co-hosts will qualify for the finals. The 2027 AFCON will be staged in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda from 19 June to 17 July 2027.
Zimbabwe will be seeking to build on their appearance at the 2025 AFCON finals in Morocco. Sierra Leone, meanwhile, are attempting to return to the continental tournament after missing the previous edition. The two teams are closely placed in the world rankings, with Sierra Leone listed at 122 and Zimbabwe at 130, adding to the sense that the opening match could be decided by small details.
For Zimbabwe, the first challenge is to manage the transition from the previous coaching era to Catalá’s approach without losing the organisation and discipline required in an away fixture. The players must also cope with an unfamiliar setting, as the match will be played in a neutral country rather than in Freetown.
The Warriors will have little time to dwell on the result in Morocco. Their next assignment is the return to Harare and the refurbished National Sports Stadium for the meeting with the DRC on 28 September.
That match will carry significance beyond the points at stake. Zimbabwe have been forced to play international home matches outside the country since the National Sports Stadium was barred from hosting fixtures because it did not meet international standards. The Warriors last played there on 14 November 2021, when they hosted Ethiopia in a 2022 World Cup qualifier.
The stadium has since undergone extensive renovations and has been cleared to host international football again. Test matches were held at the venue to examine its playing surface, changing facilities, lighting, security arrangements and other systems before its return to the international calendar.
The DRC fixture will be the first senior Warriors match at the stadium since the ban. Government officials have said the remaining work at the facility will not prevent it from hosting the match, while a busy schedule of football and rugby fixtures is expected to provide further tests for the refurbished ground.
The homecoming gives Zimbabwe an important target after the opening match. A strong performance in El Jadida would give Catalá and his players a platform before they face the DRC in front of their own supporters. A difficult result, however, would increase the pressure on the squad to respond quickly in Harare.
Mwaruwari’s message is that the first assessment should include the way the Warriors play, the discipline they show and the speed with which they absorb the new coach’s ideas. The opening fixture will still be measured in points, but it will also begin to define the identity Catalá wants to build.
The immediate task is straightforward: compete with Sierra Leone, stay organised under pressure and make the most of the opportunities created by a new attacking approach. From Casablanca to El Jadida, Zimbabwe’s preparation has been compressed by injuries, late arrivals and a change in leadership. The Warriors must now turn that limited preparation into a performance that gives their AFCON campaign a firm start.