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No wins. Five points. Ten games. Zimbabwe’s World Cup dream ends in despair.

No wins. Five draws. Five losses. Bottom of the group.

That’s how Zimbabwe’s senior men’s national football team, the Warriors, wrapped up their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers campaign. A campaign that began with cautious optimism has ended in bitter disappointment, with just 5 points from a possible 30—a meager 16% return.

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4 months ago

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No wins. Five draws. Five losses. Bottom of the group.

That’s how Zimbabwe’s senior men’s national football team, the Warriors, wrapped up their 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers campaign. A campaign that began with cautious optimism has ended in bitter disappointment, with just 5 points from a possible 30—a meager 16% return.

By Tongai Mwenje

Group C was never going to be easy, but it wasn’t insurmountable either. Zimbabwe were drawn alongside Benin, Lesotho, South Africa, Nigeria, and Rwanda. Teams with pedigree, yes, but also teams the Warriors have matched or beaten in the past. Yet, this time, they couldn’t muster a single win.

The numbers are damning; 0 wins, 5 draws, 5 losses, 12 goals conceded (joint worst with Lesotho) and only 5 goals scored.

Lesotho, a team Zimbabwe once dominated, beat the Warriors home and away, with today’s 1–0 result concluding the back-to-back victories. Nigeria and South Africa, the group’s heavyweights, barely broke a sweat. Even Rwanda, often seen as equals, walked away with more points.

Appointed in July 2024, head coach Michael Nees was tasked with two goals; qualify for AFCON 2025 and build a competitive squad for the World Cup qualifiers. He’s achieved the former. But the latter? A catastrophic failure.

Not fifth. Not fourth. Sixth.

And while qualifying for AFCON 2025 is a silver lining, it’s not enough to mask the rot. Zimbabwe has never progressed beyond the group stage in any of its previous AFCON appearances since debuting in 2004. The expectation this time is clear; make it out of the group.

But after this World Cup qualifying debacle, football stakeholders are asking; Is Nees the right man to lead us into AFCON 2025?

He’s had over a year to mold the team. He’s had competitive fixtures to test tactics and build chemistry. Yet, the Warriors look disjointed, toothless in attack, and fragile at the back. The numbers don’t lie.

So what now? ZIFA must decide. Quickly. AFCON 2025 is around the corner. The nation demands more than just participation. It demands progress.

Because for Zimbabwean football, mediocrity is no longer acceptable.

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Football

Emirates FA Cup fifth round draw Results

The Emirates FA Cup fifth round draw has been made for the 2025-26 season, with the eight ties to be scheduled for the weekend of 7-8 March 2026.

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5 days ago

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February 16, 2026

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FA Cup

The Emirates FA Cup fifth round draw has been made for the 2025-26 season, with the eight ties to be scheduled for the weekend of 7-8 March 2026.

Taking place ahead of Monday evening’s tie between Macclesfield and Brentford, the draw was made by Joe Cole and Karen Carney as clubs look to seal a place in the quarter-final.

Winning clubs in the fifth round will receive £238,500 from the competition prize fund for the 2025-26 season.

The final schedule for the fifth round will be confirmed in due course, following talks with clubs, broadcast partners and local authorities.

The final schedule for the fifth round will be confirmed in due course, following talks with clubs, broadcast partners and local authorities.

The Draw

1 Fulham v Southampton
2 Port Vale or Bristol City v Sunderland
3 Newcastle United v Manchester City
4 Leeds United v Norwich City
5 Mansfield Town v Arsenal
6 Wolverhampton Wanderers v Liverpool
7 Wrexham v Chelsea
8 West Ham United v Macclesfield or Brentford

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Arsenal Beat Chelsea to Reach Carabao Cup Final

Arsenal secured their place in the Carabao Cup final after defeating Chelsea 1–0 in the second leg of the semi-final at the Emirates Stadium. The victory sealed a 4–2 aggregate win for the Gunners, booking their first domestic cup final appearance since 2020.

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3 weeks ago

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February 3, 2026

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Kai Havertz

Arsenal secured their place in the Carabao Cup final after defeating Chelsea 1–0 in the second leg of the semi-final at the Emirates Stadium. The victory sealed a 4–2 aggregate win for the Gunners, booking their first domestic cup final appearance since 2020.

The reigning Premier League leaders will face either Manchester City or Newcastle United in the final, scheduled for March 22, 2026, at Wembley Stadium.

Arsenal’s disciplined performance ensured they held off Chelsea’s late pressure, with the decisive goal in the 97th minute by Kai Havertz proving enough to send Mikel Arteta’s side through to a much-anticipated showdown at Wembley.

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Nakamba Signs with Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday, a Championship (English second-tier) club, has signed Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba on a deal until the end of the season after he was released by League One (English third tier) side Luton Town FC.

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3 weeks ago

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February 2, 2026

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Sheffield Wednesday, a Championship (English second-tier) club, has signed Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba on a deal until the end of the season after he was released by League One (English third tier) side Luton Town FC.

The club confirmed the latest development on their social media platforms.

Sheffield Wednesday are currently at the bottom of the table (24th place) with –7 points after 29 matches.

The Sky Bet Championship club was last year deducted 12 points for multiple breaches of EFL regulations relating to the payment of players.

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