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Zimbabwe was banned in February last year due to government interference in the politics of the federation.
FIFA has finally resolved to lift the 17-month ban on Zimbabwean football with a few days to the draws for the African qualifiers for the 2026 USA, Mexico and Canada World Cup.
FIFA made the announcement on Monday evening as they prepare to install a normalization committee to run the affairs of the Zimbabwe Football Association and oversee a transition.
Zimbabwe was banned in February last year due to government interference in the politics of the federation.
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The world body agreed to lift the ban but oversee a transition period that is expected to elapse in June next year.
“The Bureau of the [FIFA] Council decided on 10th July to lift the suspension on ZIFA with immediate effect and to appoint a normalisation committee,” FIFA announced before stating that the normalisation committee’s functions shall expire by June 30th next year.
The normalisation committee is expected to be announced on Tuesday morning during a joint press briefing between FIFA, ZIFA and the government.
World Cup draws
The developments come as a relief to the country that had been starved of international football, especially after being locked out of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Zimbabwe had been drawn in Group K alongside Morocco, Liberia and South Africa but did not feature due to the ban.
The Warriors are currently ranked 124th in the FIFA Rankings and are seeded in Pot 4 of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The draws will be held on Thursday, 13th July, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
African WCQ pots;
Pot 1 - Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Ivory Coast
Pot 2 - Burkina Faso, Ghana, South Africa, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Guinea, Zambia, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea
Pot 3 - Uganda, Benin, Kenya, Mauritania, Congo, Madagascar, Guinea Bissau, Namibia, Angola,
Pot 4 - Mozambique, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Malawi, Libya
Pot 5 - Niger, Comoros, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Botswana, Liberia
Pot 6 - Lesotho, South Sudan, Mauritius, Chad, Sao Tome, Djibouti, Seychelles, Eritrea, Somalia
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