The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been a powerful reminder of a truth that football has always known but does not always act on, home advantage is real, it is significant, and it can be the difference between winning and losing at the highest level.
The progression of host nation teams through the tournament has once again underlined just how much playing in front of your own supporters, in familiar conditions and on home soil, can elevate a team's performance beyond what their ranking or reputation might suggest.
No example illustrates this better than Mexico and their iconic Estadio Azteca. The Azteca is not just a football stadium, it is a fortress. Mexico have played 10 World Cup matches at the ground across the 1970, 1986 and 2026 tournaments without suffering a single defeat, a record that speaks volumes about the psychological and tactical advantage that comes with playing in an environment where every corner of the stands is on your side. Their last competitive defeat at the venue came in a World Cup qualifying loss to Honduras on 6 September 2013, and across close to 150 matches at the Azteca in total, they have maintained a dominant record that few nations can match at any ground in world football.
The lesson for Zimbabwe is clear and it is one that the Zimbabwe Football Association must take seriously. The Warriors have historically struggled to establish a genuine home fortress, partly due to the long absence of the National Sports Stadium from the international calendar following its closure for renovations. With refurbishment works now well advanced and Sakunda Holdings financing key upgrades including new bucket seats, the prospect of the national stadium returning to host international football is closer than it has been in years.
When that happens, ZIFA and the Warriors technical team must commit to playing as many home qualifiers and international fixtures as possible at the stadium. The crowd, the atmosphere, the familiar ground and the absence of long-haul travel can collectively transform a team's performance levels in ways that are difficult to quantify but impossible to ignore.
For a Warriors side preparing for their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign and with LA28 Olympic qualification also in the frame for the Mighty Warriors, building a home fortress is not merely a nice idea. It is a strategic necessity.
Mexico built theirs over decades at the Azteca. Zimbabwe must start building theirs now.
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