Lack of funds derail Zebras friendly
Mqondisi Dube | Monday June 15, 2026 06:00
Most nations played up to two matches last week, but the Zebras were forced to skip the FIFA date after it emerged that there was no money to fund the trip. BFA acting chief executive officer, Kago Mosinyi, said the team could not travel to Angola as scheduled owing to financial challenges.
'International friendly matches were considered, but unfortunately, financial constraints at the time made it difficult to proceed with the activity,' he said. 'As you know, the national team engagements are largely dependent on available government funding, and the prevailing circumstances did not allow us to execute the activity as planned,' Mosinyi said.
The Zebras were due to play Angola last Friday in Luanda, to prepare for future international tournaments, with the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers on the horizon.
Angola proceeded to arrange a friendly encounter against the Central African Republic and emerged 3-1, winners. The Zebras were left without an opponent, with the team due to kickstart the 2027 AFCON qualifiers in September. The dates for the annual COSAFA Cup, held around July, have not been released due to the World Cup, which kicked off yesterday.
The Zebras were last active during the March FIFA window when they beat Malawi 1-0 in an international friendly match.