Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has unveiled the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup, a new national football competition valued at $25 million and designed to broaden participation across the country.
The tournament will run for five years, with prize money distributed annually. It will feature both men’s and women’s teams, bringing together clubs from the top-flight league and lower divisions, as well as community-based sides.
Organisers say the competition will follow a format similar to the FA Cup in England, allowing smaller clubs the opportunity to face some of the country’s biggest teams in knockout matches.
ZIFA estimates that around 1 000 teams could take part, including social teams from different regions. Officials believe the competition will help revive domestic football and give emerging players greater exposure.
The association says the new tournament is also meant to replace the ZIFA Unity Cup, which stopped running in 2007. The Munhumutapa Challenge Cup is expected to run throughout the football season, with the first draw scheduled for April ahead of the official start of the competition.
–ChannelAfrica–
