The Zambia national football team represents Zambia in association football and is governed by the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ). During the 1980s, they were known as the KK 11, after founding president Dr. Kenneth Kaunda ("KK") who ruled Zambia from 1964 to 1991. After the country adopted multiparty politics, the side was nicknamed Chipolopolo which means the "Copper Bullets".[3] The team won an Africa Cup of Nations title in 2012. This team has also become the most successful team in the COSAFA Cup, surpassing Zimbabwe after winning the 2023 edition.
History
editZambian Air Force Flight 319
editTragedy struck the Zambian team when the military plane (REG: AF-319) transporting the team to Senegal for a 1994 FIFA World Cup qualifier crashed late in the evening, on April 27, 1993. Three stops were planned for re-fuelling, but at the first stop, in Brazzaville, engine problems were noted on the Buffalo DHC-5D of the Zambia Air Force. Despite this, the flight continued, and a few minutes after take-off from Libreville, Gabon, where the second stopover had taken place, one of the engines caught fire and stopped. The pilot, who had already made a flight from Mauritius the day before, accidentally shut down the other engine, which was still running. The loss of power, during the climb after take-off, caused the plane to fall and crash into the water 500m off the coast. All 30 passengers and crew, including 18 players, were killed in the accident.[4]
1994–2012
editOn June 3, 1994, in Brussels, the Zambian football team succumbed to one of the worst losses in its history against Belgium, losing 9–0. At CAN 1996, they finished first in the group with two victories (5–1 against Burkina Faso, goals from Kenneth Malitoli, double from Kalusha Bwalya, goals from Dennis Lota and Johnson Bwalya); 4–0 against Sierra Leone (a hattrick from Kalusha Bwalya and goal from Mordon Malitoli) and a draw (0–0 against Algeria), beat Egypt (3–1) in the quarterfinals and loses in semis against Tunisia (2–4) but took third place over Ghana (1–0, goal from Johnson Bwalya). Kalusha Bwalya was the best in the competition with 5 goals. From 1998 to 2006, Zambia did not pass the first round, except in 2004 when they failed to qualify. On September 3, 2006, at home, Zambia achieved the biggest victory in its history against Djibouti, winning 10–0. During the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Zambia finished third in the group with a 3–0 victory against Sudan (goals by James Chamanga, Jacob Mulenga and Felix Katongo), a draw (1–1 against Egypt, goal from Chris Katongo) and loss (1–5 against Cameroon, goal from Chris Katongo). In 2010, Zambia finished first in her group and faced Nigeria in the quarter-finals where she lost on penalties. Jacob Mulenga and Emmanuel Mbola were included in the tournament's Best XI. In 2012, the best AFCON in Zambia history happened. During the tournament's group stage, they defeated Senegal(2–1), drew with Libya (2-2), and defeated Equatorial Guinea (1–0), and qualified top of their group. During the knockout stage, Zambia defeated Sudan (3–0) in the Quarterfinals, beat Ghana in the semifinals (1–0) and went up against Ivory Coast in the final, where they won their first title, after defeating them in a dramatic Penalty shootout after a 0–0 draw after extra time.[5]
Kit provider
edit| Kit provider | Period |
|---|---|
| 1993–1996 | |
| 1997–2000 | |
| 2001–2002 | |
| 2003 | |
| 2004–2015 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2018– |
Results and fixtures
editThe following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
2023
edit| 17 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Zambia | 4–2 | | Ndola, Zambia |
| 18:00 UTC+2 | Report |
|
Stadium: Levy Mwanawasa Stadium Referee: Mahmoud El Banna (Egypt) |
| 21 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Niger | 2–1 | | Marrakesh, Morocco |
| 20:00 UTC+1 | Report |
|
Stadium: Stade de Marrakech Attendance: 200 Referee: Abdulrazg Ahmed (Libya) |
2024
edit| 9 January Friendly | Zambia | 1–1 | | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
| 17:00 UTC+3 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium |
| 17 January 2023 AFCON GS | DR Congo | 1–1 | | San Pédro, Ivory Coast |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Laurent Pokou Stadium Attendance: 15,478 Referee: Bamlak Tessema Weyesa (Ethiopia) |
| 21 January 2023 AFCON GS | Zambia | 1–1 | | San Pédro, Ivory Coast |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Laurent Pokou Stadium Attendance: 13,342 Referee: Djindo Louis Houngnandande (Benin) |
| 24 January 2023 AFCON GS | Zambia | 0–1 | | San Pédro, Ivory Coast |
| Report |
|
Stadium: Laurent Pokou Stadium Attendance: 15,231 Referee: Patrice Tanguy (Gabon) |
| 23 March Friendly | Zambia | 2–2 (5–6 p) | | Lilongwe, Malawi |
| Report | Stadium: Bingu National Stadium |
| 7 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Morocco | 2–1 | | Agadir, Morocco |
| 20:00 UTC+1 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Adrar Stadium Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal) |
| 11 June 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | Zambia | 0–1 | | Ndola, Zambia |
| 15:00 UTC+2 | Report |
|
Stadium: Levy Mwanawasa Stadium Referee: Abdel Aziz Bouh (Mauritania) |
| 27 June 2024 COSAFA Cup | Zambia | 0–2 | | Gqeberha, South Africa |
| 18:00 | Report | Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
| 30 June 2024 COSAFA Cup | Zambia | 0–2 | | Gqeberha, South Africa |
| 15:00 | Report | Stadium: Isaac Wolfson Stadium |
| 2 July 2024 COSAFA Cup | Comoros | 1–0 | | Gqeberha, South Africa |
| 12:00 |
|
Report | Stadium: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium |
2025
edit| 17 March 2025 Kirin Challenge Cup | Japan | v | | Japan |
Managers
edit- Caretaker managers are listed in italics.
Ted Virba (1978)
Brian Tiler (1978–80)
Ted Dumitru (1980–81)
Ante Bušelić (1981–82)
Wieslaw Grabowski (1983–84)
Roald Poulsen (1993–94)
Ian Porterfield (1994)
Freddie Mwila (1996–97)
Burkhard Ziese (1997–98)
Jan Brouwer (2000–01)
Hervé Renard (2008–10)
Dario Bonetti (2010–11)
Sven Vandenbroeck (2018–19)
Milutin Sredojević (2020–21)
Aljoša Asanović (2022)
Avram Grant (2022–)
Players
editCurrent squad
editThe following players were called up for the 2025 AFCON qualification matches against Chad on 11 and 15 October 2024.[6]
Caps and goals as of 10 September 2024, after the game against Sierra Leone.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Toaster Nsabata | 24 November 1993 | 39 | 0 | ||
| GK | Lawrence Mulenga | 21 August 1998 | 20 | 0 | ||
| GK | Francis Mwansa | 14 July 2002 | 5 | 0 | ||
| GK | Victor Chabu | 22 February 1994 | 1 | 0 | ||
| DF | Benedict Chepeshi | 10 June 1996 | 48 | 0 | ||
| DF | Kabaso Chongo | 11 February 1992 | 45 | 1 | ||
| DF | Tandi Mwape | 20 July 1996 | 29 | 1 | ||
| DF | Frankie Musonda | 12 December 1997 | 16 | 1 | ||
| DF | Gift Mphande | 19 November 2003 | 6 | 0 | ||
| DF | David Bulaya | 0 | 0 | |||
| DF | Peter Kalota | 23 August 1999 | 0 | 0 | ||
| MF | Lubambo Musonda (captain) | 1 March 1995 | 55 | 2 | ||
| MF | Kelvin Kampamba | 24 November 1996 | 49 | 7 | ||
| MF | Clatous Chama | 18 June 1991 | 40 | 7 | ||
| MF | Benson Sakala | 12 September 1996 | 40 | 0 | ||
| MF | Kings Kangwa | 6 April 1999 | 34 | 7 | ||
| MF | Lameck Banda | 29 January 2001 | 17 | 3 | ||
| MF | Miguel Chaiwa | 7 June 2004 | 12 | 0 | ||
| MF | Obino Chisala | 14 September 1999 | 3 | 0 | ||
| MF | Joseph Banda | 17 December 2005 | 2 | 0 | ||
| FW | Edward Chilufya | 17 September 1999 | 18 | 1 | ||
| FW | Kennedy Musonda | 28 December 1994 | 11 | 1 | ||
| FW | Jimmy Mukeya | 23 February 2002 | 5 | 0 | ||
| FW | Francisco Mwepu | 29 February 2000 | 3 | 0 | ||
| FW | Chipyoka Songa | 24 September 2004 | 0 | 0 | ||
Recent call-ups
editThe following players had been called up in 12 months preceding the above draft.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Charles Kalumba | 21 January 1996 | 6 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| GK | Willard Mwanza | 3 June 1997 | 0 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| DF | Stoppila Sunzu | 22 June 1989 | 94 | 6 | v. | |
| DF | Dominic Chanda | 26 February 1996 | 30 | 1 | v. | |
| DF | Zakaria Chilongoshi | 27 October 1999 | 18 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Killian Kanguluma | 16 December 1999 | 7 | 1 | v. | |
| DF | John Chishimba | 19 July 2002 | 6 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| DF | Mathews Chabala | 19 July 2002 | 7 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| DF | Brian Chilimina | 27 June 1997 | 1 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| DF | Chitoshi Chinga | 24 December 1998 | 2 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| DF | Owen Mwamba | 24 July 1998 | 2 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| DF | Mathews Banda | 6 August 2005 | 2 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| DF | Luka Banda | 6 April 1995 | 14 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Zephaniah Phiri | 19 November 1996 | 4 | 0 | v. | |
| DF | Rodrick Kabwe | 30 November 1992 | 48 | 0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| DF | Teddy Khumalo | 12 February 2004 | 0 | 0 | Free agent | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE |
| MF | Kelvin Kapumbu | 6 April 1996 | 34 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| MF | Fredrick Mulambia | 10 July 2002 | 10 | 2 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| MF | Abraham Siankombo | 3 March 1998 | 9 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| MF | Dickson Chapa | 24 October 1991 | 8 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| MF | Saddam Phiri | 9 September 1992 | 6 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| MF | Austin Muwowo | 26 September 1996 | 6 | 1 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| MF | David Simukonda | 10 August 2005 | 3 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| MF | Owen Tembo | 16 May 1995 | 3 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| MF | Emmanuel Banda | 29 September 1997 | 32 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Joshua Mutale | 24 January 2002 | 11 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Golden Mafwenta | 15 January 2001 | 8 | 0 | v. | |
| MF | Larry Bwalya | 29 May 1995 | 18 | 1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| MF | Jackson Chirwa | 11 June 1995 | 30 | 1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE | |
| FW | Ricky Banda | 3 May 2001 | 8 | 1 | v. | |
| FW | Albert Kangwanda | 7 April 1999 | 15 | 5 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| FW | Andrew Phiri | 21 May 2001 | 8 | 0 | 2024 COSAFA Cup | |
| FW | Patson Daka | 9 October 1998 | 48 | 21 | v. | |
| FW | Gamphani Lungu | 19 August 1998 | 17 | 0 | v. | |
| FW | Fashion Sakala | 14 March 1997 | 32 | 9 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations | |
| FW | Lazarous Kambole | 20 January 1994 | 17 | 7 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations PRE | |
| ||||||
Player records
edit- As of 10 September 2024[7]
- Players in bold are still active with Zambia.
Most appearances
edit| Rank | Player | Apps | Goals | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kennedy Mweene | 122 | 2 | 2004–2021 |
| 2 | David Chabala | 115 | 0 | 1983–1993 |
| 3 | Godfrey Chitalu | 111 | 79 | 1968–1980 |
| 4 | Joseph Musonda | 108 | 0 | 2002–2014 |
| 5 | Rainford Kalaba | 103 | 15 | 2005–2018 |
| Christopher Katongo | 103 | 23 | 2003–2016 | |
| 7 | Alex Chola | 102 | 43 | 1975–1985 |
| 8 | Elijah Tana | 101 | 4 | 1995–2009 |
| 9 | Derby Makinka | 98 | 10 | 1985–1993 |
| 10 | Stoppila Sunzu | 94 | 6 | 2008–present |
Top goalscorers
edit| Rank | Player | Goals | Apps | Ratio | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Godfrey Chitalu | 79 | 111 | 0.71 | 1968–1980 |
| 2 | Alex Chola | 43 | 102 | 0.42 | 1975–1985 |
| 3 | Kalusha Bwalya | 39 | 87 | 0.45 | 1983–2004 |
| 4 | Bernard Chanda | 29 | 68 | 0.43 | 1971–1980 |
| 5 | Christopher Katongo | 23 | 103 | 0.22 | 2003–2016 |
| 6 | Collins Mbesuma | 22 | 65 | 0.34 | 2003–2017 |
| 7 | Patson Daka | 21 | 48 | 0.44 | 2015–present |
| Dennis Lota | 21 | 78 | 0.27 | 1994–2002 | |
| 9 | Kenneth Malitoli | 19 | 80 | 0.24 | 1988–1999 |
| 10 | James Chamanga | 17 | 63 | 0.27 | 2005–2015 |
Competitive record
editFIFA World Cup
edit| FIFA World Cup record | Qualification record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1930 to 1962 | Not a FIFA member | Not a FIFA member | |||||||||||||
| Did not enter | Did not enter | ||||||||||||||
| Did not qualify | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 11 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 8 | ||||||||||
| 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 11 | ||||||||||
| 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 11 | ||||||||||
| 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | ||||||||||
| To be determined | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | |||||||||
| To be determined | |||||||||||||||
| Total | 0/15 | 106 | 48 | 21 | 37 | 159 | 103 | ||||||||
Africa Cup of Nations
edit| Africa Cup of Nations record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
| Not affiliated to CAF | ||||||||
| Did not enter | ||||||||
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 7 | |
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Group stage | 5th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Third place | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 | |
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Group stage | 7th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Withdrew | ||||||||
| Third place | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| Quarter-finals | 7th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | |
| Third place | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 6 | |
| Group stage | 10th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | |
| 13th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 14th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Group stage | 11th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| 9th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
| Quarter-finals | 6th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | |
| Champions | 1st | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | |
| Group stage | 12th | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 13th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Did not qualify | ||||||||
| Group stage | 20th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| To be determined | ||||||||
| Total | 1 title | 18/25 | 69 | 27 | 19 | 23 | 83 | 70 |
COSAFA Cup
edit| Year | COSAFA Cup record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1997 | Winners | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 4 |
| 1998 | Winners | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| 1999 | Semi-finals | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2000 | Quarter-finals | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2001 | Semi-finals | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 2002 | Semi-finals | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2003 | Semi-finals | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| 2004 | Runners-up | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2005 | Runners-up | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| 2006 | Winners | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| 2007 | Runners-up | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Third place | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Runners-up | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | |
| Winners | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
| Quarter-finals | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Quarter-finals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Runners-up | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | |
| Runners-up | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Winners | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| Group stage | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| Winners | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 4 | |
| Winners | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | |
| Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |
| Total | 7 titles | ||||||
Honours
editContinental
edit- Africa Cup of Nations
- African Nations Championship
- Third place (1): 2009
Regional
editReferences
edit- ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 24 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
- ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 13 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ "History of Zambian National Team". fazfootball.com. Football Association of Zambia. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ^ "Zambia's remarkable journey makes them winners regardless". FourFourTwo. 12 February 2012. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
- ^ "CAF releases Top XI of Orange CAN". CAF Online. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ^ "Final Squad". Twitter. Football Association of Zambia.
- ^ Jerry Muchimba and Roberto Mamrud. "Zambia – Record International Players". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
External links
edit- Zambian Sports & Football Website
- Zambia National Football official
- Zambia at FIFA.com (archived 11 June 2007)
- ZambianFootball.net