Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
THE Zimbabwe national senior football team, the Warriors, have stepped up their preparations for the Unity Cup tournament in England, with the squad now settling into camp in Birmingham ahead of their opening fixtures.
The local contingent, together with some South Africa-based players, checked into camp this Thursday as preparations for the international assignment take off.
The Warriors are expected to set up base in Birmingham before travelling to London on Sunday for the four-nation tournament featuring Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Jamaica and India.
Some of the Players who have reported for camp are England-based Tawanda Chirewa, Marley Tavaziva and Corbin Mthunzi, Scotland-based Munashe Garananga and France-based Marshall Munetsi, as well as the locally based contingent that left on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Warriors will open their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign with an away assignment to Sierra Leone in Freetown.
Kaitano Tembo’s men start their campaign on September 21, with the Warriors targeting a positive result on the road.
Zimbabwe will then host World Cup-bound Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on the 6th of October at the National Sports Stadium, which is undergoing final touch-ups after being reopened for Premier Soccer League matches.
Match Day Three and Four set for November will see Zimbabwe facing Equatorial Guinea home and away, with the trip to Malabo expected to be one of the toughest assignments in the group due to the difficult conditions.
The Warriors will round off their campaign in March next year with a home match against Sierra Leone and an away trip to Kinshasa to face DRC in their last qualifier between March 22 and March 30 next year.
