Mali national team head coach Tom Saintfiet has said that facing Zambia will be their toughest challenge in the group stage at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Mali and Zambia will face off in their opening Group A fixture on 22 December at Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca. The other teams in the group are hosts Morocco and Comoros.
This year’s tournament marks Mali’s 14th appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations. The Eagles last finished as runners-up in 1972 and will again be seeking to lift their first AFCON trophy.
Speaking in an interview on ZNBC’s Radio 4 Sports Programme, Saintfiet admitted that Zambia would pose the biggest challenge in the group.
“For me probably the most difficult games in our group are the ones against Zambia and Comoros, and we need to be very focused,” he said.
Saintfiet continued: “Zambia is always at AFCON, always a strong team at AFCON. It’s never easy to play against them. They have a lot of good-quality players who can play together as a team, and for sure, because it’s the opening match, you need to be very focused because both teams would want to make a good start.”
Saintfiet wary of Zambia threat at AFCON
The Belgian gaffer warned against underestimating Zambia.
“Underestimating them would be deadly; disrespecting Zambia would be very bad. So we need to be well prepared; we need to be focused, and our aim is to try to win the first game—three points—but I guess that Zambia has the same ambition, so we need to work very hard in the coming days when the players arrive in camp,” said the coach.
“Most people talk about Morocco in our group; that’s normal because Morocco is a big name, but it’s also very dangerous that people would underestimate countries like Comoros and Zambia.”
Since taking over as head coach in 2024, the Belgian tactician has recorded eight wins, three draws, and just one defeat in 12 matches, with Mali scoring 22 goals and conceding only three during that period.
Meanwhile, Mali has not beaten Zambia in a competitive match since 1994.
The two sides last met in 2022 in a friendly encounter, which ended 1–0 in favour of the Eagles. However, across four competitive meetings, Mali have managed only two draws — a 0–0 stalemate at the 2016 CHAN tournament and a 1–1 result in the 2004 World Cup qualifiers.
Their most recent AFCON meeting dates back to the 1994 semifinals, where Zambia thrashed Mali 4–0.
READ ALSO: Sakala named new Chipolopolo captain, Sichone explains changes
