Zimbabwe has regained the right to host international football on home soil after the National Sports Stadium received Confederation of African Football (CAF) Category 3 certification, following a US$12.5 million refurbishment bankrolled largely by private energy firm Sakunda Holdings.
The upgrade, which included the installation of 55 000 bucket seats and a complete rehabilitation of the main pitch was formally approved after a recent CAF technical inspection, according to official minutes reviewed by this publication.
The certification now permits the 60,000-capacity venue to host CAF Champions League group-stage matches, Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and FIFA World Cup preliminary rounds, subject to individual competition requirements.
Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture documents indicate that the government had initially received quotations of up to US$17 million for the seating component alone before Sakunda intervened. The company ultimately disbursed approximately US$9.7 million on seating and ancillary facility upgrades--including changing rooms, ablution blocks, and athletes' tracks--while an additional US$1.2 million was allocated specifically to pitch rehabilitation, a prerequisite for CAF approval.
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Retired Lieutenant General Anselem Sanyatwe, the Minister of Sport, publicly acknowledged the private-sector contribution, stating in a release that the interventions had "substantially enhanced the functionality, aesthetics, and overall spectator experience" at the national facility.
The certification is expected to yield significant cost savings, with officials estimating that each international match now hosted domestically will spare the treasury and football association at least US$500,000 in expenses previously incurred by staging fixtures in neighboring countries.
The project was executed in two phases following a June 2023 benchmarking tour of stadiums in Spain and Germany. Phase One focused on seating, VIP and VVIP sections, and media tribune upgrades, while Phase Two delivered the full pitch overhaul. The completed facility now features 4,000 VIP seats, 980 VVIP seats, 20 presidential seats, 92 media workstations, a retractable players' tunnel, four movable dugouts, and a comprehensive seat-numbering system.
CAF inspectors specifically commended the playing surface, rating it among the best on the continent, while acknowledging the government and Zimbabwe Football Association for addressing prior compliance observations.
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The stadium was officially handed back to the state on May 19.
