Zimbabwe has come through a turbulent time in their football with the Asiagate scandal, and are trying to rebuild their team on scant resources.
They may have troubles off the pitch, but the country has long been admired for producing top talent from the region and along with Zambia are the most successful nations in the Cosafa Castle Cup tournament. The country qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2004 and 2006, exiting in the first round.
Zimbabwe’s Cosafa Cup record
Zimbabwe are four-time champions in the Cosafa Castle Cup and one of the region’s powerhouses. Their last triumph came in 2009 when they hosted the tournament and beat Zambia 3-1 in the final.
ˆ€*They lost to the same opposition in the last tournament though as Zambia turned the tables with a 2-0 win in 2013 when they hosted.
Prior to that they were victorious in 2005 in Mmabatho, again beating Zambia in the final.
In 2003, they easily beat Malawi in the decider, winning both legs for a 4-1 aggregate triumph. Their success in 2000 in the final against Lesotho brought to an end a long spell of poor luck for the nearly-men of African soccer, who for more than two decades have consistently narrowly failed to qualify for both the World Cup and African Nations Cup finals.
That changed with the Warriors qualifying for the Nations Cup finals in Tunisia in 2004. They also competed at the 2006 finals in Egypt.
ˆ€*The side did disappoint in the 2015 Cosafa Castle Cup in South Africa when they exited in the first round after a heavy 4-1 loss to eventual champions Namibia.
Zimbabwe previously had success in the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup, winning when they hosted the tournament in 1985. At club level, Dynamos of Harare reached the final of the African Champions League in 1998.
Overall Cosafa Cup record:
P W D L GF GA
45 30 8 7 72 32
Honours: 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009 Cosafa Castle Cup winners; 1985 East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup
FIFA ranking: 126
CAF ranking: 39
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