Zambia U-20 national team coach Perry Mutapa has set qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations as his immediate target.
Mutapa, who is preparing the team for the COSAFA Under-20 Championship, says the regional tournament will provide Zambia with an opportunity to secure a place at the Africa Cup, from which qualification for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup will be at stake.
The upcoming COSAFA Men’s Under-20 Championship, which doubles as the CAF U-20 AFCON qualifier, will take place from September 18 to September 27, 2026.
Zambia have endured a long wait for another appearance at the Under-20 World Cup, despite winning the continental title in 2017.
Mutapa said his biggest objective was to first guide the team to the Africa Cup before turning attention to the World Cup.
“The biggest objective is to qualify the team for the Africa Cup. After the Africa Cup, it has been a long time since we participated in the Under-20 World Cup. It is almost 10 years now since we were champions at the U20 level, but we have never been to that World Cup,” Mutapa said.
He said the immediate focus, however, was on the COSAFA tournament, where Zambia will be looking to do enough to advance to the continental competition.
“For now, we have to play for COSAFA. We will try our best to make it to the Africa Cup,” Mutapa said.
Zambia’s 2017 Under-20 side made history by winning the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil under coach Beston Chambeshi.
The triumph also secured Zambia’s qualification to the 2017 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in South Korea, where the junior Chipolopolo reached the quarter-finals.
Since then, Zambia has struggled to return to the global stage, making qualification for the next cycle one of the key objectives for Mutapa’s side.
The COSAFA Under-20 Championship therefore presents the first hurdle for the junior Chipolopolo, with Mutapa expected to use the tournament to build a side capable of competing for continental honours.
For Mutapa, however, the immediate task is clear: negotiate the regional championship successfully and keep Zambia’s hopes of ending its long wait for another appearance at the Under-20 World Cup alive.
The FIFA U-20 World Cup is scheduled for 2027 and will be co-hosted by Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
