Interim boss Kaitano Tembo honoured to lead Zimbabwe at Unity Cup

The Warriors failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after finishing at the bottom of Group C with just four points from 10 matches.

They are preparing for upcoming 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and will face Nigeria, Jamaica and India in the friendly competition that kicks off on Mayu 26.

Tembo, who is also currently employed by Sekhukhune United as a development coach, is hoping to impress in his interim head coach role in order to secure permanent appointment. He has worked as assistant to both Michael Nees and Marian Marinica, who stepped down from the post in April.

The former SuperSport United and Sekhukhune United boss told FARPost: "It's a huge honour to be given this responsibility following the resignation of the previous head coach.

"I'm grateful to the president, the board, and the exco members for showing confidence in me to steer the ship.

"Even though it's on an interim basis, coaching the national team is always a massive responsibility. You have millions of people looking to you to make the right decisions.

"It's a huge task, and in football, results are always important. At the same time, we have to look at where we are coming from and what we are trying to achieve."

Zimbabwe were drawn in Group E at the AFCON qualifiers alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone.

"The vision is clear: start preparing for the qualifiers that begin in September. It's important we put our best foot forward now and show clearly the direction we want to take — in how we play and in getting results," Tembo added.

“We are playing against a powerhouse like Nigeria, and those are the kind of friendlies you want to test yourself in. We're just coming off playing AFCON, so we want to build on that momentum. The most important thing is to make sure we qualify. That's the main goal.”