Warriors of Zimbabwe head coach Kaitano Tembo has declared that his team is determined to defeat Nigeria’s Super Eagles in the semi-final of the 2026 Unity Cup.
Zimbabwe will face the Super Eagles in the first semi-final of the tournament on May 26, with the winner set to play either Jamaica or India in the final.
Using Unity Cup to strengthen Warriors squad
Speaking after his side’s first training session, Tembo said the Unity Cup presents an important opportunity for Zimbabwe to build a stronger team ahead of future competitions.
“We’ve had our first training, we don’t have the full complement of the players, they are still arriving but I think so far so good,” Tembo said via ZIFA’s X handle.
“We are trying to use this tournament to build a solid foundation in our structure and for the upcoming qualifiers.
“Our structure should be built on good discipline, resilience good attitude and good work ethic among the players and I think so far I’ve seen a lot of positive things.
“This is an opportunity to integrate some of the young players as well to try and give them a run in, in the two games we are guaranteed to play.
“We are quite happy with what we have at the moment and hopefully I think we will be able to create a balance in the team.
“I think for us what is important is to see a lot of good positives from the team and most definitely we want to win because that’s very let for us to try and make sure that we start on a positive note in maintaining the result.”
Zimbabwe, Super Eagles battled to draws in World Cup qualifiers
The Warriors and the Super Eagles previously met during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with both encounters ending in 1-1 draws in Kigali and Uyo.
Zimbabwe finished bottom of their qualifying group, while Nigeria ended the campaign in second place behind South Africa.