Newly elected Zimbabwe Football Association president Quobile Magwizi has promised football will return to the National Sports Stadium in time for the Warriors' 2026 World Cup Qualifiers next month.
Zimbabwe will play Benin at home on March 17 and Magwizi has pledged to mobilise more resources to ensure that the remaining home matches are back at the once 60 000 seater stadium.
However, unless they work at break neck speed, it is unlikely that they will be able to beat the inspection deadlines this month.
"We are keen to have football return to the National Sports Stadium as soon as possible. Although it will not be easy, we aim to mobilise resources to see to it that renovations are completed in time for the World Cup Qualifiers," pledged Magwizi.
Magwizi is the project manager of those installing bucket seats at the stadium after he was seconded to the project by the chief financiers Sakunda Holdings who ordered 60 000 seats from China.
The leftover bucket seats from the National Sports Stadium build-up are earmarked for the Magamba Hockey Stadium which is also undergoing renovations.
Partart of the renovations are being funded and carried out by the ministry of Sport, Arts, and Recreation, and are being monitored by the permanent secretary Nicholas Moyo.
The Warriors have three remaining home World Cup matches against Benin, Rwanda, and South Africa, and three away matches to Benin, Lesotho, and Nigeria.
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The National Sports Stadium has been closed for some time after it was deemed unsuitable to host international matches by Caf and Fifa and the Warriors as well as clubs have been using stadiums in neighbouring countries for home matches.
The Warriots have been mainly using South Africa's stadiums for home matches while Dynamos last year chose Botswana with Ngezi Platinum Stars opting for Zambia in continental matches.
The Warriors still qualified for Afcon 2025 without playing a single game in Zimbabwe and Magwizi is looking forward to Afcon 2025 in Morocco.
"My board and myself are committed to see to it that we do well at Afcon. That's our primary focus. If we do not do well there, it means we are failing," said Magwizi.
The Warriors, though, have been drawn in a tough Group B which also includes Angola, Egypt, and South Africa, and the Warriors will need to produce something out of the ordinary to make it to the second round.
Magwizi was at the Afcon draw in Morocco on January 27, just two days after he was elected to lead Zimbabwean football.
Zimbabwe has been to the Afcon finals before in 2004, 2006, 2017, 2019, and 2022 but never before have they reached the second round of the continental finals.
