Warriors' 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Squad: Tapera counts on foreign-based players

ZIMSPHERE

HARARE – Warriors' interim coach Jairos Tapera has selected 12 Europe-based players and just 7 locally-based players in a 23-man squad tasked with improving the Warriors' fortunes as they face Lesotho and South Africa early next month.

Image: ZIFA

Zimbabwe are up against Lesotho on 7 June at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto after which they'll face South Africa at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein four days later.

Of the 23 called up to the Men's National team, nine players are based in England — of note being Tawanda Chirewa who featured in eight appearances for Wolves in the just ended Barclays Premier League season.

The remaining foreign based players are scattered around Europe's top flight leagues in France (Kadewere and Munetsi), Turkey (Teenage Hadebe) and Munashe Garananga who plays for KV Mechelen in Belgium.

Botswana-based Daniel Msendami, who recently cliched the Botswana Football League title with Jwaneng Galaxy, has also been called up.

As for the local players, three of them are goalkeepers — Manica Diamonds' Godfrey Chitsumba, Dynamos' Martin Mapisa and Chicken Inn's Bernard Donovan.

Two players from Shamva-based Simba Bhora have been called up — Walter Musona and Tymon Machope. The duo has been finding the net in the Castle Premier Soccer League this season — Musona with 5 goals and Machope with 4 goals. Conspicuous, however, is the absence of Highlanders' top-scorer Lynoth Chikuhwa.

The team will camp on Johannesburg on 2 June.

The list of the full squad is below:

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