The Zambia National Team have been tipped to play with a passion when they host Lesotho for the back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Lesotho.

This will be the first competitive match for coach Avram Grant who called his final squad on Friday last week.

Zambia will face Lesotho on the 23rd of March at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium with hopes of topping Group H.

The Chipolopolo Boys and Comoros both have 3 points, while Ivory Coast has 4 points and tops the Group. Lesotho on the other is at the bottom of the group with one point.

After missing the last three editions of the Africa cup, Zambia is looking to return to the continent’s biggest football showpiece for the first time since 2015.

Meanwhile, former Chipolopolo defender and 2012 AFCON winner, Chintu Kampamba has said Grant’s squad to play Lesotho looks good.

“It looks to be a good squad,” Chintu told BolaNews in an exclusive interview. “The boys should play with passion and commitment.”

Kampamba also urged the Chipolopolo Boys to embrace teamwork if they are to win the game on Thursday.

“Team work is the only key to success. The Boys should play as a team.”

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The Chipolopolo are set to host Lesotho on Thursday, 23rd March 2023 at the Levy Mwanawansa stadium in Ndola.

The return fixture will be played on the 26th of March 2023 in South Africa due to the lack of a CAF-approved stadium in Lesotho.

Since winning the 2012 AFCON, Zambia has struggled to find its winnings on the continent.

Their last participation at AFCON was in 2025 where they were lockout in the group stage.