Zimbabwe National Football Team, Squad, Injuries, Schedule and Stats

The Zimbabwe national football team is currently having a rough time in the Africa Cup of Nations, but is hoping for better things to come ahead after having a challenging start to their campaign so far. The Zimbabwe national football team nickname is the Warriors, and they played their first match in June 1929 against the England amateur team.

However, their first international match after independence came in 1980. Join us as we take a look at the Zimbabwe football team and also learn about their overall history and the Zimbabwe national football team players.

Zimbabwe National Football Team Key Facts

The Zimbabwe national football team nickname came after their never-give-up persona and continued efforts in order to gain better players and results over the years. The Zimbabwe national football team manager is Romanian Marian Marinica at the moment. The Zimbabwe national football team coach was appointed in November 2025 for a one-year contract and is currently leading the side in the AFCON 2025 and the World Cup qualifiers. The Zimbabwe national football team stadium is the National Sports Stadium in Harare, where they play most of the home matches.

Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA)

The Zimbabwe Football Association is the official governing body for the Zimbabwe national football team and organizes several national football competitions in Zimbabwe. ZIFA was founded in 1892, while being a part of Southern Rhodesia, then in 1965 as Rhodesia, and ultimately in 1979 as Zimbabwe. It has been affiliated with FIFA since 1965 and has been a member of the CAF since 1980.

Additionally, the ZIFA is also affiliated with the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) since 1997. ZIFA has four regions made up of ten provinces, which are ZIFA Central Region, ZIFA Eastern Region, ZIFA Northern Region, and ZIFA Southern Region. ZIFA offers several top-tier facilities to Zimbabwe football team players and is also responsible for managing several domestic and national competitions for the Zimbabwe football team.

History of Zimbabwe National Football Team: Early Years

The Zimbabwe national football team competed as Southern Rhodesia and Rhodesia during its early years. Southern Rhodesia played its first match in 1929 against the England Amateur national football team.

The team further faced international isolation after the white minority government's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) in 1965, and the country became an international pariah, which further saw Rhodesia suspended by FIFA until its independence. After their independence in 1980, the Zimbabwe national football team was readmitted as a member of FIFA and played its first match after independence against Cameroon.