After making a decent but losing debut at the Olympics Games in Brazil last month, the Zimbabwe Mighty Warriors will shift their attention to the African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCN) to be hosted by Cameroon in November.
The Mighty Warriors, as they are affectionately known, are hoping experience gained at the Rio 2016 Olympics will work in their favor when they compete at the Women’s Championships, equivalent to the men’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations will be the 12th edition of the AWCN. The tournament will be held in Cameroon between 19 November and 3 December 2016 with eight teams taking participating.
The Women’s team will be making their fourth appearance at the games with their best performance being in 2000 where they finished fourth.
Mighty Warriors head coach, Shadreck Mlauzi, is hoping experience gained in Rio will work to Zimbabwe’s advantage when they battle for honors in Cameroon.
Mlauzi emphasized the need for adequate preparation outlining discussions he has had with the Egyptian, South African and Cameroonian coaches about the possibility of having pre-tournament friendlies before the African Women’s Championships.
“We are making preparations for this important tournament, our girls are in shape because of the high level of competition they got in Rio.
“We hope to build on our encouraging performances at the Olympics and replicate that at the Championships but unlike in Rio, we want results, there is no margin for error this time,” said the Mighty Warriors gaffer.
The Mighty Warriors have made significant progress after qualifying for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The Zimbabwe Women’s soccer team is however hoping to stamp their authority on the African continent when they compete at this year’s edition of the AWCN.
