Zimbabwe’s Young Warriors are set to begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations Under-23 qualifying campaign when they host Mauritius at the National Sports Stadium, Wednesday.
Scheduled for 6 pm, the match will be the first leg of the first-round tie, with the return fixture set for the 6th of October in Mauritius.
The match also forms part of the qualification pathway for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games; hence, pressure will be on the team to pick a positive result and progress to the next round.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s match, Young Warriors coach Marc Sanchez said the primary goal for him will be to develop more players.
“First, we want to develop this team.
“Second target is to obviously qualify for the next round and push for qualification.
“The team is totally new, so it is not going to be easy, but we will give our best,” said Sanchez.
Should the Young Warriors beat Mauritius, they will face Mali, who have received a bye into the next round of the qualifiers.
Zimbabwe is returning to the Under-23 AFCON qualification pathway after missing the last edition due to the FIFA ban.
