The Chipolopolo will be seeking to qualify for their 19th AFCON edition during the qualifiers. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has structured the qualification matches across three international windows.
The 2027 AFCON group-stage qualifiers will officially kick off on September 21st, following the preliminary round held earlier in March.
A total of 48 teams, including the three co-hosts (Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania), will participate in the qualifiers. The teams have been drawn in 12 groups of four teams, and the top two in each group will qualify for AFCON 2027.
Zambia won AFCON title in 2012
Zambia, who won the AFCON title for the first time by beating Ivory Coast 8-7 on penalties in 2012, have commenced preparations with coach Lwandamina assembling a local-based squad for the campaign.
According to a statement from Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), Lwandamina’s local assemblage is a mix of young players, who featured at the Mukuru Four Nations tournament in Botswana and part of the group that played Argentina in a friendly match in Buenos Aires in March this year.
The Nchanga Rangers tactician has summoned the Zanaco FC defensive pair of Frederick Mwimanzi and Tinkler Sinkala to the local camp.
Completing the list of defenders are Green Eagles’ Headson Paina, Joseph Mulenga of Nchanga Rangers FC and Jackson Phiri of Konkola Blades FC.
Also summoned for the assignment are Yoram Chanda of Kabwe Warriors FC and Mufulira Wanderers’ William Kamwanga.
Lwandamina summons U-17 quartet
The veteran coach has handed call-ups to the Zambia U-17 quartet of goalkeeper Christo Chitambala, left-back Jonathan Kalimina, winger Kelvin Chipelu and striker Abel Salim Nyirongo.
Green Eagles’ newly acquired striker Rickson Ng’ambi leads the local bullets alongside team-mate Derrick Bulaya.
Lwandamina has further included the FC MUZA trio of Kelvin Mwanza, Given Kalusa and Chanda Chileshe, while Humphrey Bwembya of Kabwe Warriors, Nchanga Rangers’ Elliot Kampukesa and Nkana’s Nduna Zulu are also part of the midfield.
FAZ further confirmed the assessment camp will not include players from the two CAF envoys, Power Dynamos and Red Arrows, while ZESCO United players have been excluded due to the club’s ongoing pre-season engagements in Tanzania.
Zambia, who are in Group I of the qualifiers alongside Algeria, Togo and Burundi, will face Algeria away for match day one before hosting Togo in match day two in September.
The AFCON tournament will be staged in East Africa for the first time in 51 years with 24 teams to be confirmed for the finals, which are to be staged from June 19th to July 17th.
This edition of the AFCON will be the first to be hosted by three countries, and the first in five decades to be organised in the CECAFA region, since it was hosted by Ethiopia in 1976.
The event will serve as part of the Africa Cup of Nations’ 70th anniversary, and will be the last one to be held in odd-numbered years, as CAF announced in December 2025 that AFCON would become a quadrennial tournament from 2028 onwards.
Zambia squad for 2027 AFCON preps;
Goalkeepers; Mangani Banda (Green Eagles FC), Victor Chabu (Nchanga Rangers FC), Bradley Mweene (Nkwazi FC) and Christo Chitambala (Kabwe Warriors FC).
Defenders; Jonathan Kalimina (Kafue Celtic FC), Headson Paina (Green Eagles FC), Joseph Mulenga (Nchanga Rangers FC), Jackson Phiri (Konkola Blades FC), Frederick Mwimanzi and Tinkler Sinkala (both Zanaco FC), Yoram Chanda (Kabwe Warriors FC) and William Kamwanga (Mufulira Wanderers FC).
Midfielders; Kelvin Mwanza, Given Kalusa and Chanda Chileshe (all FC MUZA), Humphrey Bwembya (Kabwe Warriors FC), Elliot Kampukesa (Nchanga Rangers FC), Nduna Zulu (Nkana FC), Francis Banda, Dominic Kanda and Ian Sindaye (all Zanaco FC), Golden Mashata (Green Buffaloes FC), Patson Kwataine (Mufulira Wanderers FC) and Kelvin Chipelu (Forest Rangers FC).
Strikers; Bridger Ngandu (FC MUZA), Abel Nyirongo (Atletico Lusaka), Derrick Bulaya and Rickson Ng’ambi (both Green Eagles FC).
