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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter

THE Warriors will next month host neighbours South Africa in a 2022 World Cup qualifier on home soil after CAF cleared the National Sports Stadium to stage international matches.

There had been lingering doubts over the fitness of the facility after ZIFA had been slapped with a US$2 000 penalty by the continental football motherbody over some technical frailties, raising concerns over the stadium’s ability to host the encounter.

Already, the venue has hosted some AFCON qualifying games albeit on a temporary homologation after it had been banned from staging international matches last year.

And with several aspects of the issues raised by CAF, including the lack of bucket seats in the entire stadium still to be addressed, there were possible threats for the Warriors to play on neutral venue.

However, CAF have since released a communique with the list of approved stadiums to host the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers including the National Sports Stadium.

The Warriors will host Bafana Bafana between June 5-8 before they travel to Ethiopia four days later.

The squad will play Ghana back-to-back in the second window in September by which time the National Sports Stadium is expected to have been fully refurbished.