After a 4-0 defeat to South Africa in their opening match of the 2026 COSAFA U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers on Friday, Zambia suffered a second consecutive loss on Sunday, falling 2-1 to Malawi.
With back-to-back defeats, the COSAFA defending champions are now effectively out of the race for a spot at the 2026 U-17 AFCON.
Reacting to the loss, Zambia head coach Chris Kaunda acknowledged that limited time with the team has affected their performance and stressed the need for further development.
“Today we improved, though we’ve got a lot of work to do. I have been with them for two days, and I have learnt a lot of things about the boys,” Kaunda said after the match. “They are capable of playing, but they just need more time.”
Commenting on what went wrong in the game, Kaunda observed a lack of team discipline on the ball.
“Individually, they started playing their own game. Each one wanted to dribble where they were supposed to pass; they wanted to run with the ball when they weren’t supposed to. And when they were supposed to pass, that’s when they didn’t. It’s natural for young boys — as they grow up, they want to show who they are, so it happens.”
Zambia will now shift focus to preparing for the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which kicks off on November 3 in Qatar.
The young Chipolopolo are drawn in Group H alongside Honduras, Brazil, and Indonesia. They will open their campaign on November 4 against Indonesia at the Aspire Dome in Doha.
READ MORE: Mweetwa Urges Zambian Coaches to Use Modern Tactics
