Zimbabwe is set to host Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, World Cup qualifiers and CAF inter-club competitions on home soil for the first time in five years after the National Sports Stadium was granted CAF Category 3 approval.

The Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture announced that the Harare-based stadium had received the approval following a recent technical inspection and significant progress on priority refurbishment works.

The approval means the National Sports Stadium can, subject to the specific requirements of each competition, host CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup group-stage and quarter-final matches, as well as AFCON and FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The last international match played in Zimbabwe was the Warriors’ 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia on 14 November 2021.

The country subsequently lost the ability to stage senior international matches at home, with the Warriors playing their ‘home’ fixtures in South Africa and elsewhere.

Zimbabwe are now preparing for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers to be played on home soil, with the group-stage campaign scheduled to begin during the September/October FIFA window.

The approval also means Scottland will be able to host their CAF Champions League home games on home soil upto the quarter-finals.