Source: Tembo plots 2027 AFCON roadmap – herald
Eddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
TWENTY-TWO years after helping Zimbabwe reach their maiden Africa Cup of Nations finals, Kaitano Tembo believes the Warriors can once again rise to the challenge.
Then a tough-tackling defender at SuperSport United, who built his reputation on grit, discipline and unwavering commitment to the national flag, Tembo was the Warriors vice captain when Zimbabwe secured their maiden appearance to the AFCON in Tunisia.
He now wants to instil those same values in the current squad as caretaker coach ahead of Zimbabwe’s qualification for the 2027 Pamoja tournament in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The Warriors are targeting a seventh AFCON appearance.
Tembo has embraced the challenge after Warriors were drawn in Group E of the 2027 qualifiers alongside Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea and Democratic Republic of Congo.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the finals, which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Tembo was elevated to the hot seat following the sudden departure of Romanian Marian “Mario” Marinica.
A former Dynamos stalwart, Tembo is confident qualification is within reach, but cautions against underestimating the challenges ahead.
“I think on paper, the group looks easy, but in actual fact, it’s quite a very difficult group whereby we are playing against two teams, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea for the first time,” said Tembo.
“These are teams that have been improving, especially when they play at home. They’re very difficult teams to beat away from home.
“At the same time, they’ve got huge talent, especially from their foreign based players, who are playing in leagues in Spain.
“So, it’s going to be very interesting.”
Equatorial Guinea, who stunned the continent with a fourth-place finish at AFCON 2015, have seen a dip in recent years.
“Much of their squad is made up of players born in Spain and competing in the lower divisions there.
Their long-serving captain Emilio Nsue remains their most iconic figure and all-time leading scorer.
The Nzalang Nacional are currently ranked 105th in the world and 23rd in Africa. Sierra Leone, despite a modest record that includes just three AFCON appearances, are ranked above Zimbabwe, sitting 119th globally and 32nd on the continent.
The Warriors, who lost much ground during the more than year-long FIFA suspension, have to make-do with the underdog tag as the lowest-ranked side in the group following their slide to 130th in the world and 37th in Africa.
DRC, meanwhile, are the top dogs in the group, boasting a top-10 continental ranking, heading to the 2026 World Cup and have a squad packed with players from Europe’s top leagues.
The Leopards come with a pedigree having made up for their absence from the 2025 AFCON by qualifying for the World Cup, albeit via the inter-continental play-offs.
DRC have a high-quality squad composed of players plying their trade largely in, Europe’s top leagues.
Zimbabwe, nonetheless, have fond memories against the Central Africans.
In the 2019 AFCON qualifiers, the Warriors claimed a famous 2-1 victory over DRC in Kinshasa, thanks to goals from Knowledge Musona and Ronald Pfumbidzai.
The Warriors then battled to a 1-1 draw against the Congolese at home.
“We played them before and the matches have always been tight,” said Tembo.
“They are a very good team when they play at home as well and are not bad travellers because they have huge talent.
“They didn’t qualify for the AFCON in Morocco but they managed to qualify for the World Cup and that shows the quality that they have and I think it’s going to be an interesting group.”
Tembo believes good preparation will make a big difference and lauded the upcoming Unity Cup as a platform for a reset.
“The main thing for us is to make sure that we prepare very well, we leave no stone unturned,” said Tembo.
“I think the Unity Cup also gives us that opportunity to see where we are in terms of our preparations and see our level.
“So, these are the friendly games that we’re going to need to play more often for us to maintain that level of consistency in terms of performance.
“I think if we can really prepare well, we have a very big chance of progressing from the group. But we must always treat all these matches with respect and make sure that we go out there and be able to give our best.”
Tembo is leading his Warriors in England where they will feature in a four-team tournament that also involves West African giants Nigeria, Jamaica and India.
He also saluted ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi and his leadership for ensuring the Warriors get regular game time.
“First of all, I’d like to thank the president, ZIFA president (Nqobile Magwizi), for affording us this opportunity in terms of us coming to play in the Unity Cup and in terms of our preparation.
“The second thing is I’d like to also thank the Diaspora Insurance for welcoming us and making sure that we have facilities for us to also continue with our preparations here.
“Today (yesterday) was our first day of training. Although we don’t have the full complement of the players, I think so far so good.”
Zimbabwe are set to play at least two matches at the Unity Cup.
They will clash with Nigeria in the first semi-final on Tuesday, while Jamaica and India face-off in the other match.
Winners of the two matches will proceed to the final on March 30, while the losers feature in a third-place play-off.
“We’re trying to also use this tournament to build a solid foundation in terms of our structure and to build for the upcoming (AFCON) qualifiers.
“So, our structure should be built on good discipline, resilience, a good attitude and also good work ethic amongst the players.
“I think so far I’ve seen a lot of positive things. Yeah, most definitely this is the opportunity for us to try and integrate some of the young players as well like Mongameli Tshuma as well as Tawanda Chirewa, who hasn’t really played much; to try and give them that opportunity in terms of running in the two games that we are guaranteed to play.
“Also, we still have senior players like Marvelous Nakamba and we are welcoming back Marshall Munetsi.
“So, I think we are quite happy with what we have at the moment. Hopefully I think we’ll be able to create a good balance in the team,” said Tembo.
The post Tembo plots 2027 AFCON roadmap appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.