Galloway on Zim duty after signing new Plymouth deal; says Wayne Rooney ‘coming in was a factor’

By Sports Reporter & Agencies

ENGLAND: Brendan Galloway has joined up with the Zimbabwe squad for their latest two 2026 World Cup qualifiers after securing his Plymouth Argyle future.

It was announced by the Championship club on Friday the 28-year-old left-sided defender had signed a new contract with them until the end of the 2025/26 season.

Speaking to Argyle TV on signing his new contract, Brendan said: “This is a place that I’ve called home for the past few years, and I love every single thing about the club: the players, the staff, the fans, the togetherness. It was important for me to stay here.

“The fans are incredible; the best fans that I’ve ever experienced. It’s a club on the rise and I just want to be a part of the journey.”

His previous deal had been set to end this summer and he could have left as a free agent. Instead, Galloway will continue to be a part of the Pilgrims’ squad, now under new head coach Wayne Rooney.

Brendan said that he was likely to sign a new deal anyway, but Rooney’s arrival rubber-stamped his decision.

“The main thing was the club overall; that made my decision,” said Brendan, “but I think with the new gaffer coming in, that was a factor as well. He was a great player, a great coach – he’s a serial winner.

“Working with someone like that, he’ll only bring that winning mentality to us. I think that he’ll instil that into us: that hard work, that mentality and that willingness to win.  “I think that we can improve massively under him. We can now reach that next step with him.”

Meanwhile, Galloway is listed as one of eight defenders in a 23-strong Zimbabwe squad for World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and South Africa. The players have reported to camp in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Zimbabwe, known as the Warriors, will play ‘at home’ to Lesotho at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on Friday, June 7. They will then be away to South Africa at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, June 11.

After that there will be a three-week period before Argyle are scheduled to start pre-season training on Tuesday, July 2, ahead of the 2024/25 Championship campaign.

Zimbabwe have already played two 2026 World Cup qualifiers last November, at a time when Galloway was still recovering from a long-term injury. They drew both, 0-0 away to Rwanda and 1-1 ‘at home’ to Nigeria, also in Rwanda.

The Warriors are currently one of three teams in Group C of African qualification with a couple of points from two games, along with Nigeria and Lesotho. Rwanda lead the way with four points, South Africa have three and Benin are on one.

The group winners will secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup, which will be jointly staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico.