Former Zambia defender Francis Kasonde has described the Chipolopolo Boys’ start to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign under head coach George Lwandamina as encouraging, saying the team is taking the right steps in its rebuilding process.

Kasonde has backed Lwandamina to succeed in his role, arguing that the emergence of several young players provides Zambia with an opportunity to build a squad capable of serving the national team for years to come.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with BolaNews, Kasonde said he was encouraged by the number of young players introduced during Zambia’s opening qualifier against Algeria.

“When I watched the game against Algeria, there were new faces, and I think it was on merit, which is a good part,” Kasonde said. “They are all youth. Most of them can last up to the next eight to ten years in the national team, which is a very good strategy to build a team.”

Zambia lost the opening Group I fixture 3-1 away to Algeria before responding with a 2-0 victory over Togo in Ndola.

Lwandamina right man for the job– Kasonde

Kasonde said the players, despite coming from different clubs and still developing their understanding of each other, demonstrated a desire to compete.

“They are coming from different clubs. They are yet to know each other, but they showed their hunger of wanting to win, which is a good sign in football,” he said.

The former defender also expressed confidence in Lwandamina and his technical bench, describing the coach as the right person to lead the rebuilding process.

“About the tactics, I think they have the best technical bench of George Lwandamina. He knows what he’s doing. He’s the right man for the job at the moment,” Kasonde said.

“If we all encourage the association and the technical bench to keep that team, they can open more doors for other young players,” he continued.