Sports Correspondent
Nearly seven years after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) first raised serious concerns over Zimbabwe’s football stadiums, the country remains without a single venue approved to host international matches — forcing the Warriors to play their “home” fixtures outside the country.
The latest criticism has reignited debate over government accountability, infrastructure investment and the state of Zimbabwean football.
Investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono highlighted the continuing crisis in a post on X, questioning why Zimbabwe has failed to resolve stadium problems first identified in 2019.
“Zimbabwe still does not have a single sports stadium approved to host international matches,” Chin’ono wrote, citing a report by The Daily News.
The crisis dates back to November 2019, when CAF inspected Zimbabwe’s principal football stadiums.
The National Sports Stadium in Harare and Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane failed the inspection, while Barbourfields Stadium in Bulawayo received provisional approval, subject to improvements.
However, that approval was short-lived.
By February 2020, CAF had withdrawn Barbourfields Stadium’s provisional approval after the required improvements were not completed, leaving Zimbabwe without a venue capable of hosting international football under CAF requirements.
Nearly seven years later, Chin’ono argues that little has fundamentally changed.
“Now we are in August 2026, almost seven years since that 2019 inspection, and Zimbabwe still does not have a single stadium approved for international matches by the Confederation of African Football,” he wrote.
The consequences have been felt most directly by football supporters.
Instead of watching the Warriors play competitive international matches on home soil, fans have had to follow the national team abroad, with Zimbabwe using alternative venues, particularly in South Africa and, at various points, Rwanda.
“Zimbabwe has had to ask South Africa to host its home matches. At one point, I remember our home matches being hosted in Rwanda,” Chin’ono wrote.
For a national football team, playing at home is more than a matter of convenience. Home fixtures give supporters an opportunity to watch their team live, generate revenue for local businesses and allow the country to benefit economically from international matches.
Zimbabwe has instead been forced to outsource that entire experience.
Chin’ono said the stadium crisis should not be viewed solely as a sporting failure, arguing that it reflects broader concerns about the government’s ability to deliver basic public infrastructure.
“For almost seven years, the Government of Zimbabwe has failed to ensure that a country of around 17 million people has even one sporting facility where international football can be played,” he wrote.
He contrasted Zimbabwe’s situation with Rwanda, which has invested in football infrastructure since emerging from the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
“Rwanda, a country that emerged from the horrors of the 1994 genocide, has managed to build and maintain international-standard football facilities,” Chin’ono wrote.
Zimbabwe, he noted, has substantial mineral resources, agricultural potential and globally recognised attractions such as Victoria Falls and Great Zimbabwe.
“Yet Zimbabwe, blessed with more than 65 mineral resources, rich agricultural land, Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe and so many other extraordinary national assets, cannot provide one football stadium that meets CAF standards,” he wrote.
Chin’ono said the issue was not about demanding multiple world-class stadiums, but ensuring that the country has at least one facility capable of hosting international football.
“We are not asking for ten world-class stadiums. We are talking about one stadium in the entire country that meets the standards required to host international football,” he wrote.
The stadium crisis has also become part of a wider debate over governance and accountability.
Chin’ono rejected suggestions that his criticism was simply an attack on President Emmerson Mnangagwa or Zanu-PF, arguing that governments should ultimately be judged by what they deliver.
“A government ultimately has to be judged by what it delivers,” he wrote.
Zimbabwe has announced various stadium rehabilitation programmes over the years, with projects and deadlines repeatedly shifting. Yet the country’s inability to host competitive international football at home remains a visible symbol of the infrastructure challenge.
Every time the Warriors play a “home” match outside Zimbabwe, the stadium crisis is brought back into sharp focus.
For supporters, the issue is particularly frustrating because watching the national team on home soil is a fundamental part of football culture.
“After almost seven years, Zimbabwean football supporters still cannot watch their national team play a competitive home international match in their own country because their government has failed to ensure that even one stadium meets CAF requirements,” Chin’ono wrote.
He concluded: “It is sickening, and it is deeply sad. We love our country, but it is our government that continues to embarrass us.”
