Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
THE National Sports Stadium will reopen its gates at the start of the 2026 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season in March.
This was confirmed by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Nicholas Moyo, in an interview with ZBC News this Monday.
“The Minister went to Cabinet and made a presentation towards the end of last year, assuring the nation that we will open the National Sports Stadium in March at the beginning of the PSL season for local matches. We have done all that needs to be done to bring life into the national system,” he said.
“There are many contractors on the ground, and we decided to spread the work so that the stadium becomes usable. It will accommodate local matches as we move towards standardisation with CAF by mid-year, or the second or third quarter. By then, we should have completed everything. I can assure you that come March, people will start getting into the National Sports Stadium to watch their favourite teams.”
For two years, the country’s biggest stadium has stood quiet, no packed terraces, no matchday roars and no drama.
The last Premier Soccer League match played at the stadium was in 2023, when Yadah beat Dynamos 2-1 to conclude the season.
Before that, the last international fixture at the venue was in 2021, a World Cup qualifier between Zimbabwe and Ethiopia.
The reopening of the National Sports Stadium is more than the unlocking of gates. It is the return of football to the country’s biggest stage, with the new PSL season set to start on March 6.
From the last whistle in 2023 to the first kick of a new season, football is back at the National Sports Stadium.
