By Tichaona Katsvamutima
Zimbabwe’s Warriors will begin their campaign for a place at the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations with a potentially tricky away assignment against Sierra Leone in Morocco later this month.
The Leone Stars will host Zimbabwe at the El Jadida Stadium in Morocco on 24 September, with kick-off scheduled for 7pm GMT, according to Football Sierra Leone.
The decision to stage the fixture in Morocco will lessen the pressure on Zimbabwe as Sierra Leone will not enjoy home advantage where they have huge support in Freetown.
The match is being played in Morocco because Sierra Leone does not currently have a stadium that meets CAF’s requirements for hosting senior international matches. As a result, the Leone Stars have been forced to nominate a neutral venue outside the country for their home fixture against Zimbabwe.
Morocco has invested heavily in modern football infrastructure and hosted the 2025 AFCON.
Zimbabwe and Sierra Leone are in Group E alongside Democratic Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea, with the Warriors facing DRC in their second qualifying match on September 28.
The teams finishing first and second in groups will qualify for the 2027 finals. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, who will jointly stage the tournament.
Sierra Leone will enter the campaign under new coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa, who was appointed in June. The French coach has extensive experience in African football, having worked in countries including Cameroon, Tanzania, Rwanda, Botswana, Egypt, Sudan and Mauritania.
The Leone Stars will be hoping to return to the continental finals after missing the last two editions following their appearance at the 2021 tournament in Cameroon.
For the Warriors, the match represents the first competitive assignment in the latest attempt to secure qualification for the continental showpiece, which will be staged from 19 June to 17 July2027.
The Warriors will need a positive start in Morocco before returning home to face DRC on September 28.
