The Mighty Warriors will be targeting a strong comeback at the COSAFA Women’s Championship in Polokwane, South Africa, as they look to move past recent disappointments and prove their competitiveness on the regional stage.
Zimbabwe last faced Zambia in December, suffering a 3–1 defeat, and both head coach Sithethelelwe Sibanda and captain Nobukhosi Ncube admit that the fixture remains a key benchmark for the team’s progress.
Sibanda said the upcoming tournament presents an opportunity to correct mistakes identified in previous encounters, particularly against physically dominant opponents.
“From the previous tournament, we saw where our shortcomings were, the mistakes that we made when we played against Zambia. As we start with the tactical side of things, these are the areas we are going to focus on in training,” said Sibanda.
She stressed that the team must first match Zambia’s physicality before tactical plans can be fully effective.
“Zambia is a very physical side, very athletic, so we need to make sure our conditioning is up to their level. If our conditioning supports our tactical ability, then we know we can be in a better shape,” she added.
For captain Ncube, the loss to Zambia is still fresh, but she believes the team can respond positively this time around.
“We played Zambia two or three months ago and they won 3–1. They came with a full house and we were just local players. This time we are just going to give our best,” said Ncube.
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She also pointed out that the COSAFA tournament will feature mainly local-based players, which she feels levels the playing field.
“Since it’s a COSAFA tournament, the foreign-based players are not coming in, so we are just going to give our best with what we have,” she said.
Ncube, who leads a squad blending experienced players and newcomers, believes the team is steadily building confidence.
“It’s a tricky one leading such a group, but we have managed to accommodate everyone and so far they are doing very well. Everything is going well,” she said.
Despite failing to advance beyond the group stages in the last edition, the Mighty Warriors are confident of a better outcome.
“Tournaments are very tricky, but this time we want to make sure we go past the group stages,” said Ncube.
She called on supporters to rally behind the team, insisting that Zimbabwe should not be dismissed as underdogs.
“We are not a bad team. People must be patient with us and believe in us. We will give our best and make the nation proud,” she said.
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