Warriors Stumble at First Hurdle, But AFCON Dream Still Alive

Zimbabwe’s AFCON 2025 campaign got off to a painful start after the Warriors fell 2–1 to seven-time champions Egypt in their Group B opener, raising tough questions about whether this is the beginning of a comeback story or the signs of an early disaster.

The Warriors showed character and belief, matching the North African giants for long spells and even threatening to pull off an upset.

Prince Dube ignited hopes in the Zimbabwean camp when he broke the deadlock, giving the Warriors an early lead and sending them into halftime 1–0 up, briefly silencing the Egyptian supporters and underlining that Zimbabwe are no pushovers at this tournament.

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But Zimbabwe responded with grit, energy and discipline, refusing to be overawed by their more fancied opponents.

Dube’s goal was a reward for the Warriors’ persistence and attacking intent.

However, just when it seemed Zimbabwe might wrestle control of the match, Egypt’s talisman Mohamed Salah delivered the decisive blow.

The Liverpool star showed his class with a match-winning strike that ultimately separated the two sides and handed the Pharaohs all three points.

Despite the defeat, the performance offered positives for Zimbabwe.

The Warriors competed bravely, created chances and proved they can score against top opposition.

What let them down were small errors and lapses in concentration details that are often punished harshly at AFCON level.

With South Africa and Angola still to come in Group B, the big question now is whether the Warriors can regroup and mount a comeback, or if this loss will haunt their campaign.

One thing is clear: Zimbabwe’s AFCON journey is far from over, but the margin for error has now disappeared.