Zimbabwe return to the National Sports Stadium on Monday night for their first home international in five years, carrying the confidence of a remarkable opening victory and the pressure of facing one of the strongest sides in their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying group.
The Warriors meet the Democratic Republic of Congo in Group E at 17:00 UK time, or 18:00 in Zimbabwe, in a match that brings national-team football back to the Harare venue after years of renovations and inspections. The stadium was recently homologated for international matches, clearing the way for Zimbabwe to play in front of a home crowd again.
For coach Ramon Catala, the return is about more than a change of venue. It gives a team that has spent years playing home fixtures elsewhere the chance to reconnect with its supporters while trying to take control of a tightly balanced group.
“The emotional aspect is very important. I think the supporters will help us a lot. We want to make it a good performance for the audience, for fans to watch a good football match and to feel proud of them,” Catala said.
“The important thing is that it will be a very good match with two good teams after all these years.”
Zimbabwe began the campaign with one of the most dramatic results of the opening round. They fell 2–0 behind Sierra Leone in El Jadida, Morocco, but turned the match around through two goals from Marshall Munetsi and a late strike from Tawanda Chirewa to win 3–2.
The result gave the Warriors three points and showed the character Catala wants to see again against the DRC. Sierra Leone appeared to be in control after Alie Conteh and Sallieu Tarawallie scored, but Munetsi reduced the deficit in the 72nd minute. Chirewa equalised four minutes later before Munetsi completed the comeback with his second goal in the 88th minute.
It was also a significant start for Catala, who became the first foreign coach in 27 years to win his opening match in charge of the Warriors. The Spanish coach has had little time to impose his methods, however, and the short preparation period remains one of the challenges facing Zimbabwe before the DRC visit.
“Well, we have had a few days to train. The truth is that it’s a process that has just started. We trained for two or three days, and it is difficult to see a change,” Catala said.
“But the players have their history and come from big clubs where they also have a style of play. So you just have to organise them a little and give them the best position to play, like they did last Thursday.”
The Warriors’ preparations have also been affected by injuries. Forwards Prince Dube and Tino Kadewere were ruled out of the September international window, reducing Catala’s options in attack. Dube suffered a left hamstring injury during Hardrock’s Premier Soccer League match against Highlanders, while Greece-based Kadewere was withdrawn after picking up an injury.
Their absences came after Jordan Zemura was stretchered off during Watford’s match against Stoke City in the English Championship. Former Warriors captain Knowledge Musona was also unavailable after suffering a hamstring injury while playing for Scottland against FC Platinum. Scottland coach Norman Mapeza said scans indicated that Musona would be out for about two weeks.
Catala responded by calling up Washington Navaya and Leeroy Mavunga. Navaya had initially been left out of the 24-man squad despite strong domestic form, but his late inclusion gives him an opportunity to add a different threat to the forward line. Mavunga was also brought in as the coach sought to strengthen an attack reshaped by the withdrawals.
Catala said the victory over Sierra Leone had given the squad more than just three points. It had shown that the team could continue competing after a difficult start, even away from home and under pressure.
“The situation happened in the best possible way even though we trailed in the first half, which is very difficult to come back from. It’s also very difficult to win a game in Africa, especially as the visiting team,” he said.
“We showed the spirit of the team, the desire not to give up and to keep going until the end. That’s what I value.”
“Even if we didn’t get the result, what we have as a good lesson is how proud we can be of our players and how they can play well even in the worst moments.”
The DRC arrive with their own winning start. They beat Equatorial Guinea 2–0 in their opening Group E fixture, with Chancel Mbemba and Yoane Wissa scoring the goals. Like Zimbabwe, they have three points, but their victory places them at the top of the early group standings on goal difference.
The Leopards are regarded as the group favourites based on the FIFA rankings and have a squad containing players who compete in some of Europe’s leading leagues. They also reached the knockout stages of the recent FIFA World Cup, giving Monday’s fixture an imposing backdrop for a Zimbabwe side still being assembled under a new coach.
The teams last met at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, when Zimbabwe suffered a 4–0 defeat. Their recent competitive history is less one-sided: Zimbabwe beat the DRC 2–1 in a 2018 qualifying match, while the return fixture ended in a 1–1 draw. The DRC’s previous win remains a reminder of the scale of the task awaiting the Warriors, but Catala has insisted that reputations will not decide the match.
“We have a very difficult match, and we respect Congo as a very good opponent. But we don’t believe ourselves to be a worse team than anyone. We want to win and get three more points to qualify for the Africa Cup,” he said.
“We respect them as opponents. They have very good players that play in very good leagues, and they did very well at the World Cup. But that’s on paper. On the pitch, it’s 90 minutes. It’s 11 against 11. We will try to be as good as they are, and we will try to face them for sure.”
The match will test whether Zimbabwe can combine the attacking freedom that produced their comeback in Morocco with the discipline needed to contain a DRC side that is comfortable in possession and dangerous in transition. Match statistics from the opening games list Zimbabwe with 13 shots and the DRC with 12, while the Congolese side recorded the higher passing accuracy at 92.22 per cent compared with Zimbabwe’s 85.95 per cent.
For the Warriors, the occasion is as important as the points. A successful return to the National Sports Stadium would give supporters a first home qualifying memory in years and strengthen a campaign that began with uncertainty, injuries and a two-goal deficit. Catala’s players now have the chance to turn that dramatic beginning into a settled position at the top of Group E.
The prize is another three points. The setting, after five years away, gives the contest an added sense of importance.