The team represented Zimbabwe at the 2016 Summer Olympics, making it the fourth African country to qualify for the tournament, where they were eliminated in the group stage.[2]
History
Similar to the men's team, the team is known as the "Mighty Warriors", [3] the Zimbabwe women's national team was established in 1991, making it one of the earliest women's national teams on the African continent. They were scheduled to compete in the inaugural African Women's Championship in 1991 but withdrew before the tournament.
Their first official match was a 5–2 victory over South Africa in a friendly at FNB Stadium, serving as a curtain-raiser for the men's match between Bafana and Holland.[4]
The team played its first African Women's Championship qualifiers in 2000 against Lesotho, winning 8–0 on aggregate over two legs to qualify for their first continental competition. In Group A, the team drew with Uganda, defeated Réunion 2–1, and lost to South Africa 3–0, advancing to their first-ever semifinals. After losing the next two knockout matches, the team finished fourth.[5]
In 2002, the country hosted the inaugural regional COSAFA Women's Championship. During their first campaign, they topped Group A, recording their biggest win, a 15–0 victory over Lesotho. Another dominant performance, an 11–1 win against Mozambique, saw Zimbabwe reach their first final.[6]
Sixteen years after their first match, Zimbabwe won their first regional title and trophy at the 2011 COSAFA Women's Championship on home soil, defeating three-time defending champions South Africa 1–0 in the final.[7]
After failing to qualify for the Olympics on two occasions, the Mighty Warriors secured their ticket to the 2016 Summer Olympics through the 2015 CAF Women's Olympic qualifying tournament. They defeated rivals Zambia, received a walkover against Ivory Coast, and then triumphed over Cameroon with a 2–2 aggregate score, advancing on away goals. It became the first team, either men's or women's from the country to qualify for the Olympics.[8] In their first tournament, they were defeated in all their matches against Australia, Canada, and Germany, but they were able to score in each of the three games.[9]
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
