By McGeorge Mbare
AS preparations for the fourth edition of the Ziyah Media Annual Schools Soccer Tournament gather momentum, with the event just five weeks away, founder Loadwell Ziyaduma has announced plans to take the competition national next year.
This year’s tournament is set to return bigger and better, while the 2027 edition will feature provincial champions from all 10 provinces of Zimbabwe, potentially making it one of the biggest school football tournaments to be hosted in Beitbridge.
In an interview on Tuesday, Ziyaduma, who is also a ZIFA board member, said he was committed to growing football in Matabeleland South Province and that the tournament would play a significant role in achieving that goal.
“Matabeleland South is my province. As a ZIFA board member, I also have a responsibility to ensure that junior football gets off the ground in the province. This tournament is the way to go, as I believe it will encourage more young people to take up football. In the next edition, we are going national. All teams that finish first in their respective provinces at the National Association of Secondary School Heads (NASH) competitions will come to Beitbridge next year for the fifth edition,” said Ziyaduma.
He is also the director of Vhembe Stars Soccer Academy, the province’s only registered soccer school.
The 2026 tournament is scheduled for November 28–29, 2026.
This year, the competition has been expanded beyond Beitbridge to cover all seven districts of Matabeleland South Province, with each district represented by at least one team. Despite the expanded format, Beitbridge will still have the highest number of representatives.
Ziyah Media has confirmed the new format and the participating teams for this year’s edition.
The fourth edition is expected to be the biggest yet, growing from a Beitbridge-only competition into a provincial tournament featuring some of the best school teams from seven districts in Matabeleland South, alongside defending champions Chibi High School from Masvingo Province.
Beitbridge will be represented by 2025 runners-up Tongwe High School, 2023 and 2024 runners-up Vhembe High School, 2024 third-placed team Zezani High School and tournament debutants Chabili Secondary School.
Chibi High School from Masvingo Province will return to defend its title.
Chibi remains the most successful school in the competition and the only team to have won the championship.
Among the new teams joining this year’s tournament are Dombodema High School, representing Bulilima, Gwanda High School from Gwanda North, Mawabeni High School from Umzingwane, Bazha Secondary School from Matobo, Bengo Secondary School from Gwanda South, Dekezi High School from Insiza and Bulu High School from Mangwe.
On the girls’ side, four teams, all from Beitbridge, will compete for the championship: Tongwe High School, Malungudzi Secondary School, Kwalu Secondary School and Matshiloni Secondary School.
Matshiloni will replace Zezani High School’s girls’ team, which struggled to produce a strong performance in the 2026 National Association of Secondary School Heads (NASH) competitions.
Zezani High School’s girls’ team had initially been named among the participants in the girls’ category.
However, following amendments to the line-up prompted by the team’s poor performance during the 2026 season, Matshiloni Secondary School was selected as its replacement, earning its place in the tournament on merit.
Kwalu enters the tournament on the back of an impressive campaign in which the school was crowned Matabeleland South provincial champions, making it one of the teams to watch in the girls’ competition.
The tournament aims to provide a platform for young boys and girls to showcase their football talent across the region, with a particular focus on nurturing talent in the border town of Beitbridge.
The tournament’s sole sponsor, Loadwell Ziyaduma, has expressed his ambition to grow the competition further, with plans to see Beitbridge host all provincial champions emerging from the NASH competitions across the country.
“The tournament has been growing. If we rewind, you will see that it started with two teams, and now, fast-forward to 2026, we have proposed 16 teams. We are looking forward to going national and hosting every provincial champion in this tournament in the near future,” Ziyaduma said.
Ziyaduma’s ambitions for the Ziyah Media tournament are far-reaching. With plans to expand the competition to the national level, the tournament could become a key platform for identifying and developing young football talent, contributing to the growth of the game in Zimbabwe.
The tournament also attracts special guests who have made significant contributions to football. Last year, Peter Ndlovu, one of Africa’s greatest footballers, was the guest of honour.
Previously, Ronald Sibanda, one of Zimbabwe’s most influential midfielders, also graced the tournament as guest of honour.
Confirmed Ziyah Media Under-20 Boys’ Soccer Tournament Teams
1.Beitbridge: Tongwe High School
2.Bulilima: Dombodema High School
3.Gwanda North: Gwanda High School
4.Gwanda South: Bengo Secondary School
5.Beitbridge: Zezani High School
6.Mangwe: Bulu High School
7.Matobo: Bazha Secondary School
8.Insiza: Dekezi High School
9.Umzingwane: Mawabeni High School
10.Masvingo Province: Chibi High School
11.Beitbridge: Chabili Secondary School
12.Beitbridge: Vhembe High School
Confirmed Girls’ Teams
1.Malungudzi Secondary School
2.Tongwe High School
3.Kwalu Secondary School
4.Matshiloni Secondary School