Zambia’s Chipolopolo Boys will kick off their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign tonight against Algeria at the Hocine Aït-Ahmed Stadium in Tizi Ouzou, with the two sides meeting in their Group I Matchday 1 fixture.

The match will mark coach Brahim Hemdani’s first game in charge of Algeria, having taken over from Bosnian manager Vladimir Petković following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

For his first match at the helm, Hemdani has made several changes to the squad, notably leaving out Houssem Aouar and Ramiz Zerrouki. Veteran stalwarts Riyad Mahrez and Aïssa Mandi also retired from international football following the 2026 World Cup.

“The goal is to go to the AFCON with an ambitious squad, but before that, we must ensure qualification to earn that ambition,” Hemdani said ahead of the game, as quoted by Radio Algeria.

He continued: “First things first: we have two upcoming matches, and we must manage these initial two fixtures properly.”

Lwandamina weighs in on Algeria-Zambia game

His counterpart, George Lwandamina, acknowledged Algeria’s pedigree but remained optimistic about Zambia’s chances.

“We respect them. We cannot say we will not play. We’ll play as always to win. We know what lies ahead. We respect every team in the group.”

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed a Congolese officiating team for the match, led by referee Malala Kabanga Yannick. He will be assisted by compatriots Kola Archange Matalatala and Mwengesyali Jospin Mumbere, while Masangune Louis Mwamba will serve as the fourth official.

Following tonight’s encounter, Zambia will host Togo, while Algeria will travel to face Burundi on Tuesday, September 29, for Matchday 2.

In the other Group I fixture scheduled for Friday, Togo will host Burundi in Lomé at 5:00 PM.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the final tournament, which is scheduled to take place from June 19 to July 17, 2027, across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.