Zimbabwe Appoint Ramon Catalá as Warriors Head Coach for AFCON 2027 Qualifiers

Posted : 21 August 2026

Zimbabwe have appointed Spanish coach José Ramón Catalá Peiró as the new head coach of the Warriors ahead of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. The 65-year-old was officially unveiled in Harare on Thursday by Zimbabwe Football Association president Nqobile Magwizi.

Catalá replaces Marian Marinica, who resigned in April after a short spell in charge. Former Zimbabwe international Kaitano Tembo had been overseeing the Warriors on an interim basis, with Takesure Chiragwi working alongside him.

Catalá will now work with Chiragwi as part of his technical team. Fellow Spaniard Marc Sanchez has also joined the setup as Zimbabwe begin preparations for a demanding AFCON qualifying campaign.

The new coach brings more than three decades of football experience across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. His career has included work with Spanish clubs such as Celta Vigo, Osasuna, Real Zaragoza, Espanyol and Rayo Vallecano, mainly in fitness and technical roles.

Catalá has also held coaching positions outside Spain. He served as an assistant coach at Bulgaria’s Litex Lovech and worked with the national teams of Nicaragua and Libya. He later became Libya’s sporting director and briefly took charge of the national team in 2022.

His international experience also extends to club football in Qatar, Japan and Ukraine. He has worked with Dynamo Kyiv’s academy and holds a UEFA Pro Licence, giving him a broad background in player development and technical preparation.

The appointment comes with Zimbabwe preparing for a six-match route to the 2027 AFCON finals. The Warriors have been drawn alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone, with the top two teams in the group qualifying for the tournament.

Zimbabwe's first qualifier is scheduled away to Sierra Leone on September 21. The Warriors will then host DR Congo on October 6 before travelling to face Equatorial Guinea on November 9.

The remaining qualifiers will be played in November 2026 and March 2027. The 2027 AFCON finals will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with the tournament scheduled from June 19 to July 17, 2027.

ZIFA president Magwizi said the appointment forms part of a wider technical restructuring linked to the association’s Dream 2030 project. The long-term plan aims to create stronger links between junior development and the senior national team while improving Zimbabwe’s competitiveness.

Catalá's immediate task is to build a competitive Warriors squad and quickly establish his methods before the qualifiers begin. With the opening match only weeks away, the Spaniard has limited preparation time to make an impact.

Zimbabwe Appoint Ramon Catalá as Warriors Head Coach for AFCON 2027 Qualifiers

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