Zambia Hope For Fairytale Run In Second Appearance At Totalenergies U17 AFCON

• Zambia’s young Chipolopolo have qualified for the TotalEnergies Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations for the second time in their history, and the COSAFA champions will be looking to make a fairytale run in the tournament that starts in Algeria on April 29.
• The Zambians qualified for Algeria after clinching the trophy from the COSAFA region, beating South Africa 1-0 in the final.

They have been drawn in Group B, where they face the South Africans again, and will also take on Morocco and Nigeria.

Full Fixtures

30th April – Nigeria vs Zambia, 5pm local time, Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium, Constantine

3rd May – South Africa vs Zambia, 8pm local time, Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium, Constantine

6th May – Zambia vs Morocco, 8pm local time, Nelson Mandela Stadium, Algiers

History in the competition

This will be Zambia’s second appearance at the Under-17 Cup of Nations. Their other qualification was in 2015, where they bowed out in the group stages.

They were drawn in Group A, where they faced Nigeria also, finishing third with just three points from a 2-1 win over Niger.

Their team then had the likes of Patson Daka, who has grown on to become a star for the Zambian senior side, and also currently plays for Leicester City in the English Premier League.

The class of 2015 also produced Enock Mwepu, whose rising star was however unfortunately slowed down after he was forced into early retirement late last year dur to heart problems detected at his English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion.

Players to watch

The class of 2023 now also offers an opportunity for other future stars of Zambia to announce themselves to the world, and one to look out for is Emmanuel Mwanza.

The Kafue Celtic forward was the second best top scorer at the COSAFA qualification tournament where he netted five goals.

Another player to watch is Lineker Mbesuma, who is a son to former Zambian national team star Collins Mbesuma. The 16-year old striker, who plays in South Africa with Jomo Cosmos will be hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a star for the Chipolopolo.

Another player to keep a keen eye on is forward Mutale Mutale, who plays for the FC Metz Academy in France.

The coach

The team in Algeria will be under the tutelage of Ian Bakala, a former Zambian international. Bakala was part of the Chipolopolo squad for the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations and also played at the at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship.

He had a long ranging playing career ranging a decade and a half which took him to Belgium with Germinal Beerschot and also had several stints in Angola.

The tactician is determined to see Zambia perform well at the Cup of Nations, and his eyes are focused on reaching the semis to earn a ticket to the U17 FIFA World Cup.

“We are not under any pressure, but I promise the country that the team which will go to the Africa Cup will do its best and qualify for the FIFA World Cup,” the coach said.