World governing body Fifa has formally removed a ban imposed on the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa), after 18 months allowing the nation to compete in the African World Cup qualifying tournament.

The Zimbabwe Football Association’s suspension was lifted and a normalization committee was appointed, according to a statement from Fifa’s Bureau of the Council, which read in part: “The Bureau of the Fifa Council decided to lift the suspension that was imposed on the Zimbabwe Football Association in February 2022 and appoint a normalization committee with immediate effect.”

The statement added: “The normalization committee will review the Zifa Statutes and Electoral Code to make sure they adhere to Fifa rules and supporting their adoption during the Zifa Congress are the committee’s main duties.”

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The normalization panel, led by regional administrator Lincoln Mutasa, has been given until June 2024 to complete its work. This important step enables Zimbabwe to take part in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, with the draw expected to occur this Thursday during the Caf Congress in Abidjan.

The draw for the African qualifiers for the next World Cup is to be held at the Caf Congress, which officially starts in Abidjan on Thursday. The first round of fixtures will be played in November.

Zimbabwe was suspended by the global governing body in February 2022 following alleged perceived government interference in the running of the troubled football association. Though they were allowed to play in the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, they were barred from taking part in the preliminaries for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ivory Coast.