Despite the fact that a lot of things still need to be confirmed and agreed upon by the CONIFA Continental Executive as well as the Global Exco developing news point that the Matabeleland Football Confederacy (MFC) is set to host the 2nd Edition of the Men's CONIFA Africa Cup of Nations 2025 in Bulawayo.
The Confederation of Independent Football Associations (CONIFA)
CONIFA, the Confederation of Independent Football Associations, is the international governing body for association football teams that are not affiliated with FIFA. Founded on August 15, 2013, CONIFA is a global acting non-profit organization that supports representatives of international football teams from nations, de-facto nations, regions, minority peoples, and sports isolated territories.
Matabeleland Football Confederacy
The Matabeleland Football Confederacy, founded in 2016, is an independent football association promoting football in Matabeleland. The Confederacy is open to all clubs and soccer associations in Matabeleland provided they subscribe to the Constitution of MFC. Its objectives include development through sport, soccer for human rights, community development, career grooming, exposure, and international representation.
Matabeleland Football Team in the CONIFA World Football Cup in London 2018
Matabeleland participated in its maiden major Tournament, the CONIFA World Football Cup held in London from May 31 to June 10, 2018. Despite being a late entry to the tournament, Matabeleland made a significant impact. They played in the qualification round and gathered enough points to qualify for the tournament through results in a series of local friendlies against club sides.
CONIFA Africa Cup of Nations
The first-ever CONIFA Africa Cup took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from May 21 to May 25, 2022. The tournament marked a major milestone in the development of CONIFA within the African continent. Biafra Football Federation emerged as the inaugural champions after a well-contested 1-0 win over Matabeleland in the final.
Matabeleland to Host the 2025 CONIFA Africa Cup of Nations
In a significant development, the Matabeleland Football Confederacy will host the 2025 CONIFA Africa Cup of Nations. This will be the second edition of the tournament, following the successful inaugural event held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The hosting of this prestigious event by Matabeleland underscores the region’s growing influence in the world of independent football associations and is a testament to the progress made by the Matabeleland Football Confederacy since its inception.
Expected Teams that will take part in the Tournament.
In the inaugural CONIFA Africa Cup of Nations tournament held in Johannesburg, 3 teams took part in the tournament and these included Biafra, Matabeleland and Yoruba. MFC experts around more than 5 teams from all over the Continent of Africa. Highlighting CONIFA's growing mission in International Independent Football. The CONIFA Africa President Ngala Waijuru said ''We believe we can do so much in our continent and in our world to create a world that is just, fair and peaceful. We believe Matabeleland Football Confederacy can add value to the efforts of CONIFA in the African Continent and even Beyond.
Busani Sibindi the MFC President stated that ''MFC remains committed to creating events and programs that bridge the divide and creates global intercultural harmony promoting unity and progress in the world. We believe our organization can be a leader in this endeavor.
MFC is a project of the Save Matabeleland Coalition a think tank organization that has created a special program of intervention in the decades long problem of the Matabeleland Crisis and seeks to produce an answer to the current present Matabeleland Question.