Absent from the Zimbabwe national team since October 2025, left-back Jordan Zemura, on loan from Udinese to Watford, is back with the Warriors on the eve of a double-header against Equatorial Guinea, The Herald reports.
Thirteen months. That is how long Jordan Zemura has spent away from the Warriors, according to The Herald. The left-back, on loan from Udinese to Watford in the English Championship, is back with the Zimbabwe national team.
His last match in the national shirt dates back to 10 October 2025, a 0-1 defeat to Lesotho in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane. In the meantime, according to The Herald, he missed 11 Zimbabwe matches, with injuries piling up in line with the national team’s gatherings.
An AFCON missed through injury
The Africa Cup of Nations staged in Morocco last December was played without him. According to The Herald, a leg sprain picked up with Udinese, his Serie A club, kept him out of the tournament. An injury that extended a run of absences already under way.
“Missing 11 games, missing the AFCON in Morocco, that was very painful. I was watching from home,” the player told The Herald (translation).
The player’s return comes with plain speaking. “I’m very happy to be back. It’s been a long time. Thirteen months is a long time away from the national team. It has been difficult for me. I missed playing for Zimbabwe. I missed the guys, I missed the fans, I missed the feeling of wearing the Warriors shirt,” he told The Herald (translation).
Three points apiece
According to The Herald, the Warriors face Equatorial Guinea in the first leg in Cameroon on 11 November 2026, before the return match at the National Sports Stadium on Monday 16 November.
In the Group E standings, both teams have three points after their first two matches. The Zimbabwe daily considers this double-header decisive, just days after the left-back’s return.
The player says he is ready to play straight away. “Now I’m here. I’m fit. I’m ready. I’m hungry. I want to help Zimbabwe win,” he told The Herald (translation).